The Problem with Love
by thebluecrystalrose
Summary: Kory's always been hurt by her husband. As the two are attempting to finalize their divorce, they go on a journey down memory lane that includes all the pain and troubles Kory went through to discover the man she once thought dead, and Dick went through to find his love again. But is Kory hiding something else from her husband?
1. The Root of the Problem

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

**A/N: This... This is what happens when I'm allowed to think at late hours of the night. I wrote this in my journal last night near midnight. It's a combination of a few ideas that were roaming my head at once. I was too overwhelmed to write three separate stories, so they're all in one now! :D Hooray for creativity and adjustability!**

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Chapter 1:  
The Root of the Problem

"I thought your earthly marriages were supposed to last forever," her normally sweet voice dripped like acid in the stiff silence of the dining room. Her demeanor was as cool as ice.

The man rubbed his weary blue eyes with one hand, "Not _forever_, but 'until death-do-us-part,'" he corrected. "But, yeah, me too."

His wife folded her arms over her chest defiantly, "Well, this is my second marriage, is it not?"

The man stroked his shaggy black hair with a nervous hand and effectively avoided making contact with her piercing green eyes. He reached for the giant packet that contained their divorced papers, all twelve pages. He began to scan its contents once more before responding to her, "Yep."

Kory's eyes narrowed at his short answer, "Emotionally inclined as always, I see."

Dick's eyes broke away from the clause that he must have read at least ten times already. He could almost swear that his heartbeat could be heard a mile away. It was a wonder the packet hadn't slipped out of his hands yet. Betraying anxiety, even in personal relationships, was not how he was trained, so he ignored his physiological reactions to his emotions, "If _that's_ your only problem with me-"

"Oh don't start that shit with me!" Kory interrupted loudly. Dick couldn't help but wince at her word choice. His Star never cussed at anybody she was close to unless she was absolutely livid. Dick remembered wanting to kill the poor bloke who taught her. Luckily for Beastboy, Raven didn't take too kindly to her boyfriend's life being threatened.

Dick merely rubbed his taut neck and shook his head in disbelief. A defeated sigh escaped his lips. Momentarily, he thought about how he was betraying years of training but immediately forgot about it when he saw the sorrow etched in his wife's eyes. His own blue eyes softened at the sight, "Star, I... I wish I knew how to fix this... What went wrong?"

Kory almost broke down. She almost leapt out of her seat, ran to his side, and embraced him in a long, warm hug enriched with unspoken forgiveness... _Almost_. Instead, she fell back into her cold, unforgiving stare, "I would blame it on the fact that you never come home anymore, but I suppose to truly get to the root of the problem, we'd have to go back in time about nine years ago."

Dick's jaw went slack, "Kory, how could you possibly be angry at me for attempting to provide for _our_ family?" His fists were clenched, nails digging in to his sand-toned skin, "Furthermore, how can you blame me for the sloppy decisions _you_ made after I left the team?"

Kory was standing now; her hands were also formed in tiny fists. Her eyes were glowing bright green and she could feel the hot tears escape her eyelids. "Dick, you never simply _'left the team!'_ You faked your _own death_. We spent over a _year_ trying to find your body. Nobody gets over a loss like that quickly, nor the shock." She paused as she attempted to stop all of the painful memories from flooding into her mind at once. She sniffed and wiped away a single tear, "You were my _best friend_ in the entire universe, Richard, and we were dating. I loved you with _all of my heart_ and then you were gone, just like _that,"_ she snapped her finger and dissolved into fits of tears again.

Dick sat awkwardly in the chair across the table from her. He wanted to say something, anything, to comfort her. He wanted to apologize for everything he had done, all of his actions that wounded her so awfully. He couldn't, though. His lips wouldn't move and his arms and legs remained limp. Kory had at least one thing right; he was never good at expressing his emotions.

Kory dried her eyes and sat back down. Her face was red and puffy; her eyes seemed to sparkle more than before because of the left over tears in them. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "So I did what I thought was common human mourning behavior," her voice cracked. "Once it became evident that you were really gone, I went to a bar and drank. I was of legal age at this point and it was shocking how easily the burning liquid soothed my raw throat and my broken spirit. I've been regretting that night ever since."

Dick felt almost completely vulnerable at this point. After all, he felt that it was partially his fault. He didn't put the booze to her lips, but he broke her heart in one of the worst ways possible. "I-I thought it was the best way to go, Star." It wasn't the apology that he expected to come out of his mouth but he figured it was close enough. He reached out for the tan hand that remained idle on the table. She moved it when she felt his skin brush up against hers. "I didn't know how to say goodbye."

Kory have the muscular man a weak smile, "I know, Richard. You told me a long time ago." She pushed a stray strand of her cherry red hair out of her face, "But no amount of explaining, apologizing and forgiveness can erase those memories Richard. You've explained enough, apologized too many times. I've been forgiving you ever since. Those memories can't disappear. They're there, no matter how much I don't want them to be."

Her husband took a moment to contemplate their situation carefully. "Maybe... Maybe we don't need to _erase_ those memories, but _heal_ them... Why don't we talk about them and make a better attempt at understanding, Kor?"

His sapphire eyes met her emerald eyes. The connection was never truly lost. Kory almost smiled at the glimmering hope she found in his eyes, but she still had her doubts. She didn't see how discussion of memories already understood could help the hurt packed so tightly within them. His hope was too evident, however, so she gave it a chance, just to see what would happen.

"It's... too late to fix anything, Richard. But... I will give it a try, if it truly means that much to you."

_Starfire's eyes danced around the Boy Wonder's long-abandoned room mournfully. A single tear escaped her left eye but she knew more would quickly follow. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself weakly, "Oh, why did you have to go?"_

_After a year of absence, his dresser was covered in a light coating of dust. Nobody dared to move a thing, for the million-to-one chance that their beloved leader returned to them, alive. Not even Silkie attempted to enter the bedroom. _

_Starfire was the only one who dared to cross its threshold. Every night she would toss-and-turn in her sleep. Every night she found herself sliding his bedroom door open and collapsing in his bed. Occasionally, she would allow herself to wander the room. Her slender fingers would trace the newspaper clippings taped to his walls, Slade's mask, Robin's weapons... Once, she debated taking the ball that held his hologram from his days as Red X. She would have tossed it onto the floor, just to see him and hear his voice once more. She knew it wouldn't give her what she wanted, her best friend would never return to her again._

_No matter what she did in his room each night, she always wrapped his bedding tightly around her slim frame and breathed in his scent that was practically buried in the fabric. For the longest time, that was the only way she could fall asleep._

_That night her teammates decided to call the official search for Robin off, Starfire quickly adjourned to his old room and begged it to give her answers. Much to her chagrin, she received none. She didn't bother attempting to seek answers from her friends. They offered her comfort, they offered her all the love they could, when they could. Starfire couldn't accept any of it. As they healed with each other, she drifted away from them. She knew her friends were well-intentioned and that they were hurting too, but they couldn't give her what she wanted. They couldn't give her best friend back to her._

_In an episode of one of her favorite soap operas, Starfire had witnessed a woman going into a bar to get drunk when she lost her loved one. Starfire believed that was a normal human process of mourning. Normally, she would resort to Tamaranian mourning rituals, but she knew it would ruin Raven's concentration and possibly damage Cyborg's circuits. Her pudding of sadness never reached the effect she wanted it to. At eleven that night, she left Robin's room after placing her communicator on the top of his dresser. She journeyed into her room, dressed herself in civilian clothing, and flew to a local bar._

_As she settled herself in a seat at the counter, a man with floppy brown hair slipped into the seat next to her. "Hey there, Cutie."_

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**A/N: Hm. So WHO could possibly be Starfire's surprise guest at the bar? I'm sure y'all can figure it out. Please leave me a review and let me know if I should continue writing this!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	2. Rain

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 2:  
Rain

Kory shook her head at the memory, "I half expected to find Red X behind me, when I turned around." Laughing, she added, "And I guess, now that I know more about him from you, I did. Jason Todd was probably the most attractive male I have ever placed my eyes upon. No offense. At first, he was as sweet as cotton candy. I don't remember a lot about that night, that _cursed_ first of the May, but I do remember laughing a lot. That, and drinking whatever Jason bought for me."

Kory began ripping the tips of her fingernails out of anxiety, fear of what Dick would think of her. She had always feared his opinion; she always wanted him to be happy with her and hold her to his highest regard. She thought she had to be perfect. Little did she know how much Dick recognized her flaws and loved her despite them. She also didn't know at this point that Dick already knew. Forgiveness wasn't always easy for him, but he learned. He would sometimes hold grudges against his friends, but he could never stay angry at Kory for long.

Dick noticed her sudden silence and placed his right hand on hers, "Go on, Kory, please."

The woman sighed and flicked a strand of hair over her left shoulder, "It was _intoxicating,_ Richard, and not just because _I_ was intoxicated. At that point in my life, I had forgotten how to laugh and Jason reminded me." Her face contorted in a manner that showed how disappointed she was in herself, "I was blinded by what I missed so dearly. I was absolutely infatuated, in my drunken state. I know somewhere there was a part of me that was being reasonable, telling me to stop being a fool and to remember my reality. I couldn't stop."

"And if you had stopped..." Dick looked at his wife with curiosity seeping out of his eyes.

"If I'd stopped, I wouldn't have woken up next to him the next morning. I wouldn't have gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have been beaten, I wouldn't have been so ashamed with myself that I couldn't see my friends ever again, and... I wouldn't have known that you were still alive."

Realizing that her husband's hand was still on top of her hands, she blushed and pulled them away, resting them in her lap. "I woke up in a run-down apartment. I was naked but I had the sheets wrapped tightly around me. I had the worst headache in the entire world, and I was more than confused when I realized there was a ring on my left hand."

_Starfire woke up to lightning and thunder. She was surprised to find herself naked in a stranger's bed. _Perhaps I should contact my friends, _she thought. _It seems as though I've been drugged. _She rubbed her aching head and took a deep breath, recognizing a strong scent of coffee. She looked to the floor next to her, found her clothing and put them back on. As she was getting dressed, she noticed the ring on her left hand and remembered the man she had met at the bar the night before._

_She finished pulling her pants up and attempted to look for any clue to where she was. After a few minutes of throwing clothes around, she found Jason Todd's wallet with his license inside. Starfire gasped as she read the address of her new husband, "4500 Smith Street, Apartment number 45, **Gotham City**?"_

_She heard footsteps outside the room she was in and stuffed the wallet away. She sat down just as her husband, Jason, sauntered in. "Hey there, Cutie. How are you feeling?"_

_Starfire didn't know what to expect. As Jason flicked on the light switch she noticed that he had very pretty features, for a ruggedly handsome guy. He shoved a cup of coffee into her hand and mumbled, "I'd figured you'd need it, since you had so much to drink last night."_

_Starfire whispered her thanks and began sipping the hot drink. Jason watched her for a moment before folding his arms over his chest in annoyance. Starfire arched her brow in confusion and stopped drinking, "Is there something wrong?"_

_"I asked you a question, Kory." Jason grunted, "And I expect an answer."_

_Starfire blushed, partially because she had forgotten to answer him and partially because she realized she had created her own secret identity by playing with her old name. "My apologies, Jason. I am... I'm feeling rather confused. We were married last night, correct? Yet, I also thought that we were still in Jump City where the famous bars of drinking were."_

_Jason furrowed his eyebrows at her word choice, "Uh, yeah. We were, but the chapel we got married in is in Gotham City, because I live here."_

_"And you drove us here drunk?" Kory asked angrily, knowing the dangers that were involved in that. _

_Jason chuckled a laugh that Kory had sworn she had heard from a certain masked villain before. "You were drunk, but I wasn't. Don't worry, Cutie."_

_Kory smiled at her new husband but was completely buried by her thoughts. Questions were overriding her consciousness and she couldn't help but feel like there was something incredibly wrong with her body._

_"Please, do you have a bathroom?" Kory asked sweetly. Jason pointed to a door to the right of her and she walked into it. She sat down on the toilet and relieved herself. Before she flushed, she peeked in the toilet and noticed a green fluid instead of yellow._

_"Oh, X'hal!" Kory cursed under her breath._

_She could handle accepting the consequences for getting herself hitched while drunk, but now she was pregnant as well. Worse than that, she had no way of contacting her friends. She had left her T-Communicator on Robin's dresser before she left Titan's Tower. They probably thought that she ran away. Even if she could contact them and ask for help, she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do so._

The red-head stopped speaking and turned her attention to the window. Noticing this, Dick also directed his attention to the changing picture outside. It had been dark for most of the morning, but now it was pouring. Flashes of lightning illuminated the room and the thunder shook the ground beneath them. Dick and Kory exchanged a solid glance. Dick huffed in annoyance, "I'll call Raven."

Before he could pull out his cell phone, it rang. "Hey, Raven."

"The soccer tournament was cancelled," droned their old friend. "Do you want me to bring Katie and Marie home or are you guys still talking things out?"

Dick was staring at his wife as she twiddled her thumbs silently, "Actually, Rae, is it alright if they spend the night tonight?" Kory's neck snapped up in shock as Dick continued speaking, "Kory and I have a lot more to work out before we finalize the divorce."

"You know Gar, the boys and I love having the girls over," Raven answered. "We have a few of their things here, and we have a few extra toothbrushes. We'll bring them back home after lunch tomorrow, unless you say otherwise."

"Sounds good, thank you." Dick watched as Kory stood up and walked toward the window. She placed her right hand softly on the window, watching the lightning dance around the rain.

"And Dick?"

"Yes, Raven?"

"Be easy on her," Raven's tone didn't give away the sincerity and concern that Dick knew was there. "She's been through a lot, and I... I really hope the two of you can work it out."

Dick chuckled, "I'll do my best. It won't be easy but I'll try. Thank you, Raven. I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and placed it on the table next to his empty red mug. His eyes were still fixed on Kory. He knew he was angry at her, but he couldn't help but recognize how beautiful she was. Dick always thought she was the most gorgeous person he had ever met, yet he knew she had many other astounding qualities as well. She was very intelligent, very brave, and very strong. There was always something running through her head, things that Dick wanted to understand but also knew that he would probably never be able to.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Dick inquired as he joined the Tamaranean woman at the giant window that overlooked the suburban street.

"It seems that whenever there's a huge change in my life, there's a storm to go along with it." Kory sighed, still watching the storm play out before her.

Dick grinned at her, "As poetic as that sounds, what on Earth are you talking about?"

Kory turned and pressed her back against the cool window. She tugged at her pink robe before hugging herself, "When you _left,_ it was storming outside. The morning that I woke up in Jason's apartment, it was raining outside. When Katie was born, there was the rain. When you found me again, it was raining. Dick, we had to move our wedding indoors because it was storming. And now-"

"-as we finalize our divorce, it's raining outside." Dick finished for her.

Kory untied her robe, pulled it tighter to herself, then re-tied it. "I hate rain."

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**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews so far! I truly appreciate them. Please continue to review and I'll continue to write. :) Let me know what you think of this chapter please!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	3. Tea Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 3:  
Tea Time

Before continuing their conversation, Dick pulled out the giant fleece blanket that Raven had made for their wedding gift. He tossed it on the couch leisurely. Kory was attempting to set a fire in a fireplace, but quickly grew annoyed with the human-way to do so. When Dick went into the kitchen to make them hot tea, she lit up her hands and fired at the wood.

When Dick walked back into the living room he wasn't surprised at the green tint emitting from the fireplace. Instead, he arched a brow, chuckled quietly, and handed his wife her purple mug.

Kory was sitting against the armrest of the couch. She held her warm drink close to her lips and moaned at the warmth that tickled her nose. She placed her tea on the side table when she noticed Dick staring at her. Slowly, she adjusted her gaze to meet his. She gulped loudly, "Is something troubling you?"

Dick blushed, realizing that he was caught staring at her. With one hand, he rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, is it okay if I sit next to you?"

For a moment, Kory had almost forgotten she was angry at him. Ignoring every impulse she had to throw the mug at him, she lifted the blanket and patted the cushion next to her. Dick smiled his thanks. A silence soon filled the room, aside from the cackling fire and brooding thunder.

Kory hadn't felt her husband so close to her in months because she had kicked him out of their bedroom out of spite. Her body was no longer used to him being so near. Every time he shifted his weight, their skin would brush. Goosebumps spread across the alien's body and she tried not to let her embarrassment show.

"Dick?"

"Yes, Kory?" The man was trying to remain as stiff as possible, but the sofa in their home was possibly the softest that existed. It was near impossible not to completely unwind in it.

Kory tapped her fingers against her mug. She had always wanted to ask him, but was always too afraid to do it. She sighed, "Did you ever date anyone after you left Jump City? I mean, you've never really gone into depth about your life before I showed up again..."

Dick was hunched over in an attempt not to be completely pressed against his wife. He took a casual sip of his tea, hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nope."

Kory rolled her eyes, "I loved your nice, thought-out response, Dick. I _truly_ appreciate it."

Dick pressed his lips together, sloshed the remaining liquid around in his cup, and shrugged. He stretched his left arm behind his wife's shoulders and placed the mug on the table next to hers. The hairs on the back of Kory's neck stood up. Dick noticed this and decided to experiment. He didn't move his arm, but instead allowed it to rest comfortably around her shoulders.

Kory had asked him the same thing numerous times, and each time Richard replied the same way, "There's not much to tell, Kor. Bruce wanted me to start dating Barbara, but I wasn't interested. It felt like I was cheating on you, even though you thought I was dead." He paused, then added, "I liked Barbara a lot. She has always been a pretty and intelligent girl. For awhile I was sorely tempted to take a chance with her but she grew to be more like a sister than anything."

It was only partially a lie.

Kory nodded, trying to take in his quick explanation while ignoring his soft touch. "So, there's nothing else I need to know about?"

Black hair rustled next to her as Dick shook his head, "No. Nothing truly got interesting until I found you here. Before then, all I did was work. When I wasn't working, I was patrolling. When I wasn't patrolling, Bruce forced me to a gala with some sleezy girl." He noticed a look of discontent plastered on his wife's face so he gave her shoulder a light squeeze, "Nothing happened, I promise."

Dick knew he'd eventually would have to admit to the woman one thing; he was a mess without her. All he did was work and sleep, unless Bruce forced him to do otherwise. It was miserable without her.

Neither needed the other. In the past, Kory had relied on Dick to be her guide on the strange new planet called Earth. However, neither _truly_ needed the other. They were friends, the best of friends. Dick knew and accepted this but he also knew one thing: Kory was a part of him now. As husband and wife, they were one, a united front. Now, it seemed as though they were ripping at the seams.

It was painful. More painful than he could ever be comfortable with admitting. Their teammates, having all moved to Gotham to help Nightwing with the crime levels, weren't much help with their current situation. None of them wanted to see their marriage fall apart. They offered love, comfort, and free babysitting but Raven refused to allow either Gar or Vic to get involved in the drama. She believed the two should work it out on their own. However, every once and awhile she'd call Richard to kick him in the butt for being what his name implied.

As he dwelled on what the future promised him, he realized that he'd already been through all of this once. Although the circumstances were very different, and he and Kory hadn't been married at the time, the premise of it was the same. Dick was ripped away from his entire life when Bruce called him back, but most importantly his relationship with his Star, his best friend, was shattered, he thought, beyond repair. Now, they were being ripped apart again.

"We don't have to get divorced, you know." Dick whispered, clenching his fist.

Kory ignored him and shook his arm off of her shoulder, "Fast forward two years. Katie was an infant at this point. Jason was a deadbeat father... He was doing well, from what I could tell, the first few months after she was born. Although, at this point I had already discovered that he slept around with multiple women and drank a lot. His drinking quickly became a problem as it affected our life at home. He became abusive."

Dick's nails were digging into the palm of his hands at this point, "I know."

Dick despised the idea of anyone laying a hand against Kory or his two daughters. He had done so once, when he was fearful that Slade was going to destroy Jump City, destroy his friends. Richard always regretted bruising Kory's arm. Being scared for her life and determined to put the bad guy down was never an excuse for turning anger into action. He could never forgive himself for harming her, just as he could never forgive Jason. No matter how hard he tried.

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**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I hope those of you who were reading are still doing so and I really hope I have some new readers! Please leave me a review, I'd really love hearing your thoughts and critiques!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	4. Deceit

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 4:  
Deceit

"The Titans had been searching for you," Richard whispered, "from the night you left. You worried them sick. They thought you had killed yourself, they thought you had returned to Tamaran... They all had different theories and they couldn't figure out which was correct."

"I know." Kory whispered, shaking her red locks, "But I couldn't bring myself to return. I couldn't. I just couldn't. No matter how abusive Jason got. I couldn't bring myself to admit to them that I had failed. I did not wish to admit to them that I was and am _rutha._ That is not the way of a true Tamaranian warrior, that is not the way of a Titan."

"Admitting you're wrong doesn't make you weak, Starfire." Her old name slipped off his tongue smoothly. The couple exchanged an embarrassed glance and Richard blushed. "Sorry."

"It's alright..."

"But, really, being wrong or in trouble doesn't make you weak. It doesn't make you any less of a Titan or Tamaranean. It makes you, well, _human,_ for lack of a better term. Admitting that you're wrong is probably the strongest thing any person could do because it's the hardest thing to do, Star." He bit his tongue as he realized he had called her his old nickname, then cursed silently.

Kory shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clutching her mug tightly in her hand. Richard shook his head, "Imagine their surprise when they saw the headline news in Gotham that Bruce Wayne's adopted son was engaged. They still didn't know your location, and here I was getting engaged to someone else when they presumed me dead."

The mug shattered in her hands, and her teeth clenched, "You were _engaged?"_

Dick's eyes widened as he realized he hadn't shared that with his wife, "Shit."

"Richard, what are you talking about?" Being such a prisoner in her own home, Kory never went out enough to hear about the local Gotham news. Even when she was out and about, she didn't take time to look at the news. She knew Gotham was the old home of Robin and figured she'd read something about Batman-a trigger for her to lapse back into her depression.

Richard shook his head. He knew he'd have to come clean eventually, but he didn't intend for it to happen that way. "I... I'm sorry Kor. I lied to you."

"You really were dating Babs?" Kory glared at him, trying not to pay attention to the sting penetrating her hands. Richard was already picking the glass pieces out of her hands and cleaning the shattered mug off the floor. He then rushed into the kitchen to get a towel to wrap her hand in. He applied pressure to stop the bleeding but Kory was still enraged. She felt nothing but tingling hurt inside.

As he was cleaning her wound, Richard explained himself, "It was mostly for business purposes. Bruce had a deal going on with her dad. It was some weird agreement. I'm not really sure how it made sense to them. To Babs and I it seemed pretty medeival, but we were friends. Neither of us had an intention to get married to anyone else. I had you in mind, but you thought I was dead so it seemed pointless. We agreed. I shouldn't have kept that from you. I'm sorry."

Kory gritted her teeth and pulled her hand from him, applying her own pressure instead. "So, if I remember correctly, the Titans decided to meet with you right away."

"I got a call at three in the morning," Richard chuckled, not realizing that Kory's anger had not completely subsided.

_"Hello?" Answered a groggy voice. He glared at the alarm clock and bit his tongue to keep from cursing at his late-night caller._

_"Yeah, Richard Grayson?" Replied an all-too-familiar voice, "Or should I say, 'Robin the Boy Wonder'?"_

_Dick nearly choked on his spit, "Cy-Cyborg?_

_"The one and only." His voice was like acid and Richard cursed under his breath._

_"How did you get my number? How did you find out?"_

_"Dude, it wasn't that hard. Once we heard that the Prince of Gotham was to be engaged, it wasn't too difficult to fit the pieces together," chimed in Beastboy._

_"And we got your number from a phonebook," droned, none other than, Raven._

_Richard groaned; he had paid the phone company to keep him unlisted. Apparently, he was going to be getting his money back very soon._

_"Dude, why didn't you just tell us?" Beastboy inquired, "We would have understood if Bruce wanted you back in Gotham. We'd be okay with that. Why couldn't you just tell us?"_

_"And keep us from all the heartache and pain and trouble that went along with that?" Raven hissed._

_Cyborg piped up now, "We searched for your body for over a year, man. We were completely devastated. Why couldn't you have just told us the truth?"_

_Richard gripped his cell phone tightly to his ear, "Yeah. I should have. I'm sorry, but at the time I thought that was the best way to go about it. Bruce wanted me to become Nightwing and he wanted me to leave y'all. I didn't know how you'd react. I hate goodbyes. I panicked."_

_"No kidding." They said in unison and Richard winced at their voices._

_Silence emitted through the line. Richard waited patiently to hear her sweet voice, the voice that sounded like honey and always managed to make his knees go weak, somehow. It was the very same voice that remained silent on the other end of the phone, and Richard couldn't tell if it was out of fear or anger or sadness or a combination of it all. It was driving him crazy not to hear her voice, the voice he'd missed for so long._

_A minute passed by and Richard was surprised that she hadn't said anything yet, "Starfire? Aren't you going to say something?"_

_There was no response on the other end, other than a few uncomfortable coughs from Beastboy. Finally, he heard a silent question, "Dudes, who's gonna tell him...?"_

_"Tell me what?" Dick growled._

_There was a loud sigh, coming from Raven. "Robin, erm, Nightwing, Starfire's been missing for over two years now."_

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**A/N: Silly Richard got caught! Now that Kory knows he hasn't been telling the truth, what will happen to their marriage now? Does Richard even realize they have ANOTHER problem to work out? Leave your reviews, I would love to know your thoughts! :D**

**God bless,  
****Rose**


	5. Nightwing: Detective, Hero, Idiot

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 5:  
Nightwing: Detective, Hero, Idiot

_Dick felt all the blood drain from his face. He blinked a few times and sat back on his bed out of shock. He attempted to respond but when he opened his mouth he found his throat was very dry. He reached for the water bottle that he left on his oak nightstand before he went to sleep. Dick took a long sip of lukewarm, yet rejuvenating, water. He swallowed hard before replying, "What do you mean she's been missing for TWO YEARS?"_

_He wasn't certain which he was more livid about - that she was missing, or that they still hadn't found her._

_"Hey!" Bellowed Cyborg, "You stupid, little spikey-haired punk-" Richard subconsciously touched the top of his head at Cyborg's insult. His hair had been void of spikes since he left the Titans. "-if you think we haven't spent every waking second looking for her, you've got another thing coming! We've spent the last tw- OW!" Cyborg was cut off by Raven enveloping him in her dark aura, throwing him into a nearby wall._

_"Nightwing," said Raven, ignoring the curses Cyborg directed at her, "we've done all we could. When we saw the news concerning your impending nuptials, we thought that she must have found you and gotten engaged... That is, until I convinced these two boneheads that we should read the entire news article before making assumptions." She paused and then added in her monotone, "We called to not only give you a piece of our minds but to inquire if you'd seen any sign of her."_

_Dick shook his head incredulously, trying to let the information sink in, "No such luck." Then again, he wasn't really looking for her in the first place. Work, food, crime, and sleep, if he could manage it, were the things he was focused on. Bruce forced him to galas. He barely saw much of the city, except for at night._

_The brooding man's mind was racing, and it was almost like someone had flipped his detective switch on. "Did she leave a note? What were the conditions like the night she left? Are you certain she wasn't kidnapped? Did you check her favorite places? Did you turn the city upside down trying to find her?"_

_"Dude, slow down."_

_"She didn't leave a note," Raven answered, "and we're positive she wasn't kidnapped, at least not from Titan's Tower. Video showed her dressed in civilian clothing. She left on her own account, whatever that may have been. She flew toward the city, so we don't believe that she ran off to Tamaran either. She didn't pack anything therefore we believe she intended to return. If she had been kidnapped from anywhere else, she would have been able to stop her attacker. That's just how strong Star is… But, she did leave her communicator so she wouldn't have been able to call for back up if she wanted to." Raven didn't think it would be appropriate to mention where Starfire's communicator was left and why it would have been left there._

_"So," Richard breathed anxiously, "it's like she disappeared off the face of the planet." He paused, "You still haven't told me what the environment was like the night she left."_

_He heard fidgeting on the other end, and then Cyborg's voice rang clearly, "It was a year after you had allegedly passed away. We had made the decision to end the search for your body."_

_Dick exhaled and took a long look at the bedroom that lay before him. "I shouldn't have faked my death."_

_"No shit, Sherlock." Cyborg retorted angrily._

_"Look," Dick growled, "I know what I did was wrong. I accepted that a long time ago, buddy. I don't need you on my case telling me something I already know. So shut your pie-hole and maybe we can get along well enough to find my Star."_

_"Your Star?" Beastboy squeaked before Cyborg could muster a coherent retort, "Dude, it's been, what, three years? You still think she's your Star?"_

_"She doesn't belong to me," Richard shook his head, pouring the words out, "but I do still love her."_

_"You're engaged," pointed out Raven, "to another woman."_

_"Not anymore." Dick replied curtly, pulling out a parchment of paper and scribbling a note to Babs to let her know that he did not intend to marry her and that he was going to search for a long lost friend. "She's a good friend, but I never loved her."_

_"Then what's the game plan?" Cyborg questioned after silently forgiving his old friend._

"I told them I would meet them at Titan's Tower by dawn," Richard explained, now covering the woman's wounds in gauze. His voice was gentle, almost sad, "When I got there, I demanded to see the videos from that night."

_"Did she do this often?" Nightwing inquired as he watched the woman he loved so dearly cry in his old bed. She wasn't the Starfire he remembered; she was gaunt and very fragile looking. She looked like a precious museum piece, the kind that if you touch, it falls apart. She wasn't bubbly, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked miserable, and Nightwing blamed himself._

_All of a sudden the video showed the girl getting up. She limped toward the door, turned back and asked the empty space, "Oh, why did you have to go?"_

_She left his room, placing her communicator on the dresser, and entered her own. The red-head changed into civilian clothing that she had once bought at the shopping mall. The clothes were baggy on her, as she had not been shopping in over a year at this point and wasn't healthy. She applied makeup and sighed at her reflection in the mirror, turned on her heel and left._

_Nightwing paused the video, feeling his jaw go slack at the sight, "That's not convicting or anything." He sat back in his chair an attempted to let it sink in. Normally, he'd go through these videos thousands of times before coming up with a conclusion, but this time he studied the frame it was on. Her Mumbo-Jumbo alarm clock showed that it was a little after eleven at night. Nightwing stared at it, wondering if it meant anything._

_"She wouldn't go out looking for me," he concluded finally. "She'd want to find something, anything, to begin her healing process..." He shook his head, "But Star would want to use her Tamaranian practices of coping... Did she ever once bring out the pudding of sadness or anything_ foreign_ like that?"_

_"Well, no." Cyborg mumbled, realizing he hadn't considered that. Mostly, he, like Raven and Beastboy, was trying to get over the fact that the man they believed to be dead was walking and talking to them like nothing had happened. It ticked him off and his feelings about that were evident when he had spoken to the man on the phone earlier that morning._

_"I actually asked her about that," Beastboy admitted silently. "She said that she knew what was welcome here and what was not. I still don't know what she meant by it."_

_"It sounds like she didn't want to distress us," Raven observed. "At this point in our lives, Starfire knew that some of her practices were unorthodox to us, as our ears and tastebuds are more acute to her practices where as she has grown up all her life with that in her life. By this point, she would have understood that."_

_"So, what then? Fly to Tamaran to do her coping there?" Nightwing questioned to himself, "She wouldn't do that because she was dressed in human clothing." He took a few minutes to mull over what he had seen, considering all the factors that were involved. Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He snapped his fingers, "I've got it."_

_The remaining Titans turned their attention to him and he said, "What was the most popular bar here two years ago?"_

Kory arched her brows at this point in the story, "Such the detective. But how did you realize that I'd be out drinking?" She stared at her bandaged hands and frowned.

"I watched one of those soap operas with you before I allegedly died," Dick grinned at her, clearly proud of himself for coming to his conclusion. "Not that I'm much of a fan, but you had your heart set on watching it, and I wanted to spend time with you because..." He began scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably, "I knew then that I would be leaving soon. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you..." He coughed before finishing, "The episode in particular was about what a 'typical' woman does when she is mourning the loss of someone."

"So you put two and two together and realized I was submerging myself in the art of alcohol."

Dick chuckled awkwardly at the description of it, "Precisely."

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 5 is a wrap! Please tell me what y'all think, s'il vous plait? :D**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	6. Mrs Evergreen Luzinski

Chapter 6:  
Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski

"Cyborg calculated a list of the bars in Jump City," Richard continued, studying Kory's face carefully. For a detective that spent all his free time solving crimes, he sure couldn't understand women, especially not his wife. She was just a big block of mystery that he couldn't completely grasp his mind around. "We printed your picture from the security videos and began narrowing our search from there. Finally, we found the one we were looking for."

_The four old friends walked into the bar, all absolutely exasperated. They were down to the last bar on their list, one just on the outskirts of Jump City. The three remaining Titans were convinced that Nightwing was wrong about his hunch, but the hero was stubborn and pressed forward until they checked every pub in the city._

_A woman with graying hair and round glasses eyed the group carefully. They were dressed in civilian clothing (or city slickers, as Beastboy preferred to call them), as to not attract attention to themselves, but to her they seemed suspicious. Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski, had seen far too many villains and gangs (more than she'd like, that is) meet in her own establishment to recognize when there was suspicious behavior around. The Titans, although they didn't look like the Titans, looked very suspicious indeed._

_As the tall, black-haired man sauntered toward her, Mrs. Luzinski adjusted her spectacles over her wrinkled nose in order to get a better look at him. She bit back a scoff as she observed how long the man's hair was getting—almost past his ears! As Evergreen examined his physical appearance more carefully, she inquired, "Well, hello there young man! How may I help you?"_

_Dick grinned jovially at the woman, holding out his right hand, "Hello, Mrs…?"_

"_Luzinski, darling, I'm Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski." She drawled, ignoring his hand.  
_  
"_Mrs. Luzinski," Dick's cordial smile remained as he dropped his hand, "we've been searching for a friend of ours for awhile. We're afraid she may have gotten into some trouble, about two years ago…"_

_Evergreen Luzinski rocked herself back and forth on her heels, "I see."_

_Evergreen Luzinski had been working as bartender at Luzinski's Pub for over sixty years. Her husband was the original owner, until he passed away in the summer of '97. She took the pub into her own caring hands at that point. She had been around the bar long enough to know that when a group of people came in telling her they were "looking for a friend," they were really looking for trouble. She never wanted any part of it, as this was a shady part of town and there were far too many miscreants scrambling around than the "Teen Titans" could capture in a year. She wasn't one to help any criminal, no matter what the case. It was what got her husband killed, she believed. However, Evergreen always obliged in order to humor her customers. She could have her own laugh at it later on that night._

"_I have a picture of her, right here," he pulled out the folded photograph from his blazer pocket and offered her it._

Kory couldn't help herself, she busted out laughing at this point in Richard's story. Richard arched a curious brow at his wife and she blushed, covering her mouth subtly. "I-I'm sorry!" She hiccupped, "Evergreen Luzinski was such the character when I went in that night all those years ago. She just stood at the counter brooding at her customers the entire time. When you mentioned her name, I suddenly remembered how she didn't take too kindly to Jason, because he kept buying me more and more drinks. She didn't trust him, and I'm pretty sure she made a few attempts to 'rescue' me from a very obvious mistake." She shook her vibrant locks and sighed, "I wish she had."

Dick considered the woman before him carefully. She had been through so much heartache, and yet here she was, giggling to the point of hiccups. "I wonder what she thought of me."

Kory shrugged, "Keep telling your story and I might be able to guess. Although, since you wanted to rescue me, I'm sure she was more than affable toward your efforts."

Dick thought about it for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure about that. Neither of us knew her for very long, of course, but she was not a pleasant woman."

Green eyes bore into Richard's blue, "Perhaps, but if I'm remembering correctly, which is hard to tell because I was so drunk that night, she liked me."

Dick took a bandaged hand into his, "That's because nobody could ever truly dislike you, Kory. You're Kory, one of the friendliest people I've ever met."

He watched in amusement as her cheeks shifted from tan to rosy-red. "Thanks," she mumbled but thought to herself how frighteningly little her husband knew about her.

_Evergreen snatched the parchment out of the man's muscular hand, and shifted a glare to each of his companions before focusing her sights on the woman in the picture. Very few people had that vibrant color of hair, Starfire of the Teen Titans being one of the few. She hadn't expected to see her again, certainly not. It had been over two years ago and, much to Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski's amazement, she knew this young woman to be in trouble. _

_Dick watched in anticipation as her jaw slackened at the picture, and glanced at his friends with a look with the words "This is it!" written all over it. The _

_Mrs. Luzinski took in a sharp breath before saying anything, "I've seen the girl before. She came in by herself looking positively unhealthy."_

"_Do you know what happened to her, Mrs. Luzinski?" Raven questioned softly, attempting to keep herself from getting too ecstatic. She hadn't meditated since the night before and it was very necessary to be careful._

"_I only know what happened in my bar. Some punk kid named Jason, if I remember correctly – and I believe I do – sat next to her and began smooth talking her. She was resistant at first but soon she gave into his offer to buy her drinks."_

_The haggard woman walked over to the long bar counter and sat down on a stool that had probably been there since the 1950's. The cushion sunk under her weight and she continued her testimony, "I could tell the girl had been mourning the loss of something or someone. Probably a break up gone horribly wrong," the lady shrugged as the three remaining Titans glared at their former leader. "I never asked her. But this Jason kid sure did take an interest in her, and pounced on her vulnerability like a cat jumps on a mouse." She shook her head and wiped the sweat from her brow._

"_What became of them?" Garfield asked, taking his angry eyes off of Richard and focusing them back on the tired woman._

_She shrugged, disinterested. "Can't say for sure, although I'd love to say the girl got her head screwed back on before she made the worst mistake of her life."_

"_What do you mean?" was Victor's concerned, big-brother inquiry._

"_He offered to drive her home," she scoffed, "and then as they were walking out he began talking about his apartment in Gotham City, and how much she'd enjoy it there."_

_All the Titans, including Richard, deadpan in their reactions, exchanged looks with one another._

"_Thank you very much for your help, Mrs. Luzinski," Richard began walking out the door. "You've really helped a lot and I think we might be able to help our friend now."_

_Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski rolled her brown eyes at their retreating figures, "Sure, sure, what am I here for anyway?" She looked up at the ceiling, "Oh, Mr. George Luzinski, wait until you hear about this one tonight."_

* * *

**A/N: Oh my goodness, guys, I just wanted to say that I had a whole lot of fun writing Mrs. Evergreen Luzinski. XD She's my own creation and I'm quite pleased with myself for coming up with her. :D I hope you guys liked her as much as I did, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave your thoughts! I promise to respond! :)**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	7. Red X

Chapter 7:  
Red X

"You knew something, didn't you?" Kory had stretched her limber body across the couch now. Richard was sitting in the comfy chair that was next to the sofa, on the other side of the small table.

"Yes," Richard answered while cracking his back. "Jason sounded all too familiar to me, and I explained that to the others."

"_Who is Jason, Dick?" Victor, who had put on his holorings before coming along, began as the group returned to the black Jetta Dick had arrived at the tower in. The Titans agreed that the T-Car would give them away, since they were trying to keep to their secret identities._

_Garfield, also wearing holorings to disguise his green coloring, nodded his floppy brown hair, "Yeah, dude, you seem like you know him all too well."_

"_I have my suspicions," Dick nodded, looking in the rearview mirror at the two men. "If it's the Jason I think he is, that is."_

"_Can you please just get to the point? I'd rather not be left hanging on the edge of my seat all night, Dick." Raven hinted from the seat next to him._

"_Jason Todd, also known as Red X," he paused for dramatic effect, which was greeted with the gasps of surprise that he expected, "was working to help Batman and I after I first returned to Gotham City. We knew his secret identity, he didn't know ours."_

"_But you knew he was a thief—"_

"_Yes, Garfield, I knew he was a thief, but I also knew that he was a struggling human being." Richard acknowledged, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "He had been orphaned at a young age, much like I was. However, he fell into an entrapment of crime. He became haughty and angry at the world, but he also knew that his parents would be far too disappointed in him."_

"_So what happened?"_

"Yeah, what happened?" Kory moaned into the arm of the sofa, attempting not to fall asleep.

"I'm getting to that," Dick responded, slightly impatient with the exhausted woman.

"My sincerest apologies, Queen of Sheba." Retorted the alien princess sarcastically and suddenly, very much awake with hatred.

Dick moaned, "Kory, I'm sor—"

"Just continue your stupid story."

She was still infuriated with him for lying to her, there was no covering that, but Dick had already believed her to forgive him. He was stunned at her sudden outburst but pressed forward.

"_He had stopped a crime in action before we arrived," Dick elucidated, focusing on the highway ahead of them. "He offered to help us patrol and although I was anxious, knowing who he was, Batman seemed to welcome him with open arms. After several months of working with Red X, Batman decided to cut off all relations with him. When I questioned his decision, he said that Jason, or Red X, was full of rage and until he learned to control that, he could never be a hero."_

"_But you believe he came to Jump City, why?" Raven had a steady gaze on her former leader, preferring to keep this conversation out in the open rather than a battle of the minds._

_Richard flicked the right turning signal as he sped toward Exit 43. "Unfortunately, during our time together as a team, Red X guessed that I was the Robin who had allegedly been killed in Jump City. I confirmed his supposition and he remarked on how he couldn't believe that I'd be so willing to leave a beautiful woman like Starfire behind."_

"_Yeah, no mention of your wonderful, supporting team," Victor shook his head in annoyance. _

_Dick rolled his eyes, "Yes, my team was wonderful and supporting, for the most part, and they were very difficult to leave behind. However, you remember how smitten Red X was with Star when we battled him. Does it really surprise you how that was the only aspect he cared about?"_

_Silence ensued among the band of superheroes. Raven battened her gaze on the trees flashing by on her right and Garfield drummed his knuckles on the window. Victor still wasn't satisfied._

"_So you believe that he went after Starfire, knowing full-and-well she wouldn't have her Robin guarding her every moment."_

_Dick flinched at the implications of that but nodded, "I believe he watched her carefully, waiting for her to find herself in a vulnerable position." Taking his eyes off the road for a moment, he pressed the screen where the radio should have been. After a few moments of ringing, Batman's face popped up on the screen._

"_Where have you been, Nightwing?" Batman exhaled, scratching the top of his head._

_Dick glanced back at the Titans, "Catching up with some old friends."_

_Batman looked as if he were about to say something, closed his mouth, and then spoke, "And why the sudden need to reveal your identity to them?"_

"_We're looking for a friend, Batman." Raven hissed at him hotheadedly, "Perhaps Dick mentioned her to you before – a pretty girl named Starfire. She's been missing for two years and we believe one of your old partners, Red X, was behind her disappearance."_

_Batman, shocked at her harsh reaction, suddenly grew to respect Raven of Azarath. "Well, then, I see no problem with the sudden disappearance of my son. Do you need anything, Dick?"_

"_Do you have Jason Todd's address in your records?"_

_Batman began typing very quickly in the Batcave. A screen popped up on Dick's screen with the address of their previous comrade, "Jason Todd of __4500 Smith Street, Apartment number 45, __Gotham City."_

"_Thank you, Batman. Nightwing, out." Dick then turned his attention to the Titans, "We'll head to my place and prepare for a stakeout." _

* * *

**A/N: I know it's a shorter update, but I figure that's better than nothing! I'll begin working on Chapter 8 soon! Please send me your thoughts!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	8. The Problem with Hope

Chapter 8:  
The Problem with Hope

"Fast forward a couple of hours, and we were all set up outside your apartment, ready to pounce on the bastard when we saw him."

_Nightwing crouched in a tree outside the tiny, house-like apartment. From his position, he could see clearly through a window. He had instructed the others to take positions surrounding the building. Raven was near the front entrance, Cyborg at the rear. Beastboy, as Nightwing directed, morphed into a spider and would be ready to ambush from the inside, should he need to._

_Nightwing held a steady watch in the small tree. The room, a bedroom, he was staring into was vacant for the time being. It was relatively clean, although slightly dusty. There were two beds and, to Nightwing's astonishment, a crib. He shook his head, thinking that the crib must have belonged to a roommate, or something plausible like that. He returned his focus to the task at hand: if X, Jason Todd, had made an appearance in the room, he would be ready to take him down and interrogate him._

_As Nightwing peered in, there was an abrupt change in the room; the door leading to the hallway had opened. Nightwing nearly fell out of the tree because of what he saw._

_Inside the bedroom walked a young woman with vibrant red locks, cut to her shoulders. She wore a light purple tank top and denim shorts. In her arms, she held an infant with light brown tufts on top of her head and round, emerald eyes... Her eyes, Nightwing noted, matched her mother's perfectly._

"_Dudes," Beastboy's voice sounded through the T-Communicator Cyborg had lent Nightwing, "I think Star is married."_

_Nightwing could feel is throat growing tight at the sight of his beautiful Star tossing her daughter up in the air with the widest smile he had ever seen her have. "She's a mom," was all he could manage to croak out, in response to him, as thunder began rolling. "I-I can see her. She looks so serene."_

Kory watched her husband carefully. She was torn, to say the least. Here, Richard, her husband, had lied to her on more than one occasion, yet he talked about her as if he loved her more dearly than she loved Silkie or Katie or Marie, her _bumgorfs_. She began to feel more and more uncomfortable as Richard spoke.

He had gotten up to prepare them lunch, but he continued his story as he put together grilled cheese sandwiches. "Then, Beastboy interrupted the silence again."

"_Dudes, I see Jason. Should we go forward with the plan?"_

_Nightwing was looking at his Star place her daughter sweetly in the crib. He allowed what appeared to be her happiness fog his judgment, "N-no, BB. It looks like they're ha—"_

_He paused, noticing a bruise on Starfire's left arm, and another under her right eye as she turned away from the crib. Before he could say anything, Jason stormed into the room and yanked her by her hair. He didn't need to view any further to tell what was coming next, "Titans, GO!"_

_Nightwing was the first to get there. He broke through the window and pushed Jason to the ground, beating the daylights out of him. "You stupid, evil bastard, how dare you lay a hand on her!"_

_The other Titans were in the room now, watching as Nightwing fought the man._

"I was completely surprised." Kory said, getting up to take her seat at the table, "Although 'surprised' may just be an understatement."

"Well, it's not every day that the guy you fell in love with, who you presumed to be dead, crashes through your window to kill the guy who dared lay a finger against you." Dick chuckled at the thought, considering how truly amazed Kory must have been that night.

"I was expecting my nightly beating, after all... The Titans tried to get you off of him next," Kory recalled as Dick placed a plate of food in front of her. "More specifically, Raven ripped you from him using her telekinesis and tossed you into the dark corner of the bedroom."

_Kory, eyes widened, reached for her daughter and pulled her out of her crib. She couldn't believe her eyes; she was certain they must be deceiving her, or that she was dreaming, or _something_ because whatever _this_ was most certainly was not plausible. _

_Beastboy and Cyborg were pulling Jason out of the bedroom to question him in the other room, until Nightwing could take over._

_Raven released Nightwing from his makeshift prison and he addressed the mother, "It's good to see you again."_

_Kory, completely dumbstruck, couldn't help but feel an uncanny sense of déjà vu, "Robin?"_

_Nightwing stepped into the light, "I haven't used that name in a long time. Call me Nightwing."_

"I broke down then," Kory disclosed, before taking a sip of apple juice.

"I know. I wanted to embrace you, tell you it would all be alright, and apologize, but I had to interrogate Jason. Cyborg and Beastboy gave him ice for his head and made sure he remained there but _I'm_ the bad cop, remember?" He took a bite of an apple piece and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

"All too well," Kory allowed a sly smile in her husband's direction. "As you left, Raven rushed to my side and healed any cuts Katie or I may have received from the broken window. Then, she repaired it and tried to get the story out of me, so I told her what I could remember."

"_Jason picked me up at the bar the night I disappeared and we, apparently, got married," Kory explained, holding out her hand for Raven to look at. Her entire body was trembling out of confusion and astonishment._

"_Why didn't you try to contact us?" Raven wondered, as she pulled out a piece of glass and healed the small gash near Kory's thumb. "We were worried sick. We thought you had done something drastic..." She paused for a moment and then added, "Something more drastic than getting drunk, getting hitched, and then getting pregnant."_

_Kory stretched her hand after Raven healed it, attempting to calm her nerves. Katie was snoozing peacefully against her breast and Kory kissed the top of her daughter's head, "I was fearful of judgment... and I couldn't just leave my new husband either; I had to take responsibility for my foolish mistakes. Had I not gotten pregnant that night I would have left, but I knew the very next day, as all Tamaranian women know."_

"_When did he start beating you?"_

"_He was hostile toward me from the beginning. I could tell he was angry about something, whatever it was. He never told me. However, he never laid a hand on me while I was pregnant. Then again, he also spent most of his day at work to earn enough money to support our child. He only came home to sleep and that's all I saw of him for awhile." She glanced down at her daughter, "After Katie was born, she was up every two hours. That's when the beatings began. I took it as long as he never laid a hand against Katie."_

_Raven looked at the slumbering baby in Kory's arms and smiled genuinely, "She's beautiful."_

"_Thank you."_

"We pulled Raven into the adjacent kitchen and family room area, since Jason knew your secret identity. She removed that memory and all memory he had of you and his child, for your protection. Then, I called Batman to take the man to jail for previous crimes of thievery." Richard continued where Kory left off, "Unfortunately, draining his memory meant that we couldn't press charges against him for domestic abuse."

"I don't care regardless," Kory shrugged, "I'm fortunate to live on a planet, in a country, where crimes don't go unpunished. He's currently unable to get a hold of me or Katie, and I am forever thankful for that."

Her hand was placed placidly on the table as she grinned at Richard. Richard returned the amiable smile and placed a soft hand on top of hers. Before Kory could shift her body or rip it away, he squeezed it. "We are going to be okay, aren't we?"

Kory stared into Richard's hopeful blue eyes. That was it: hope. That was the one thing that she couldn't bear to look right into because she had never had it before, not for long anyway. She considered hope to be her worst enemy; it never accomplished anything, from the way she looked at it. When she was a "prize" of the Gordanians, she didn't hope she'd be set free—she knew better. Instead, she prepared herself mentally and physically for an escape. She never hoped that her sister would, by some magic, become the rightful princess she was intended to be but prepared herself for each fluctuation that took place during the process, and the final decision her sister made. When she was a Titan for all those years she didn't hope that her friends would be safe, she prepared with them to protect themselves but also prepared herself in case something went wrong—although, she never truly anticipated how losing a beloved friend, a beloved boyfriend, would affect her body and mind. When it was announced that Robin had been involved in a bloody motorcycle accident, she didn't hope she'd find him alive but she prepared herself for either a dead body or a beaten one. She didn't think to prepare herself for a missing one. When she became captive as Jason Todd's wife, she didn't hope for a rescue from her friends, but she prepared herself mentally and physically for the beatings she'd receive each night and readied herself for a chance to get away. Now, as she looked divorce straight in the face, she didn't hope for reconciliation. She prepared for the outcome, how to heal in the aftermath.

She hadn't hoped since she was a little girl, and she wasn't supposed to. She was a warrior princess, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, and it was against her valiant and hostile nature to hope for anything.

What about Kory Anders Grayson of Earth? She had made Earth her home a long time ago, and hope was common on this planet. On Tamaran, she would be considered _rutha_ for hope. On Earth, she looked at Dick Grayson, her husband and old friend, and she couldn't call him _rutha_ for being hopeful. In fact, being hopeful seemed to make him into the strongest person she ever met, on Earth or on Tamaran.

Kory broke eye contact and looked down at her hand, tugging it away lightly. "There's no way to tell, Richard, not for sure... It is against my nature to hope for the future."

She left it at that.

* * *

**A/N: First of all, I'd just like to thank you all for reviewing for the last chapter! Typically, I've gotten 3 or 4 reviews per chapter and last time I got 8! So I just wanted to thank you guys for reading this story and telling me what you think as well.**

I hope (ha) you enjoyed this chapter! And I really hope you guys picked up on the episode reference when Nightwing met Kory. Hehe. :)

God bless,  
Rose


	9. The Problem with Dancing

Chapter 9:  
The Problem with Dancing

Dick massaged his shoulders, taking in his wife's assertion about herself. He let out an exhausted sigh; how was it even possible to save a marriage that she didn't even hope would last? Dick wanted more than anything to be with Kory, he had wanted that since after their first year of being friends. Now, he desired to salvage their marriage, their family. How could he fight for that if he was the only one fighting? He may have been a superhero but it always helped to have a team. That's what he thought he and Kory were: a team. How could you be a team with someone who wasn't willing to work out all the bugs?

"I still don't understand how we got here," Dick managed to utter, standing up and grabbing the dirty dishes. He tried to control himself enough as to not throw them in the sink.

He turned the water on and began scrubbing furiously at the plates. Humbly, Kory crept up next to him and dried the two plates with a blue dish rag when he finished.

"If we still can't answer that, we must keep moving forward." She turned to place the items back in the cabinet. She still didn't believe this ordeal would accomplish anything, except perhaps re-open old wounds, but she knew it was important to Richard to understand—that's what a detective does, along with solving the problem as well. Kory was interested in understanding as well, but she didn't have the desire to solve the problem like Detective Richard Grayson did.

"Do you remember when you invited me to move in with you?" Kory asked, walking back over to the sink.

Richard, his back against the sink, faced the alien princess, a glimmer of hope resurfacing in his eyes. Kory attempted not to cringe at his reaction while he responded, "How could I forget? Bruce was sympathetic, for once, Alfred was delighted, and you were close to me, once more."

"While I was subjected to your obsessive antics each time you worked on a case, once more. Not to mention Bruce's obsessive antics. Although, I am glad he invited Raven and I every so often in order to get a woman's opinion on a matter." Kory leaned her back against the island next to Richard. Her arms were folded over her chest as she giggled at the memories of her father-in-law, and his sudden friendship with Raven.

"Yeah, we tend to get a bit wrapped up in our work," Richard chuckled, casting a sideways glance at his wife. He smiled when he noticed a grin etched on her pretty, tan face.

Kory rolled her eyes, "_A bit_? Richard, I'd wake up at 3 AM to feed Katie and you'd _still_ be typing away!"

"I learned from the best," Richard exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Apparently even the best can have bad qualities that the student can pick up on... But why bring up that point in our lives?"

Kory cocked her head to the left and furrowed her brows together, "Dedication is not a bad quality, Richard, you and Bruce just tend to abuse it." Then, answering his question, she said, "It was a time of confusion, forgiveness, and healing... A time that, despite our problems, we got through together." She raised her right hand, closed her eyes and lifted her head with a slight sense of haughtiness, "If you want to hope so badly, I believe this would be the place to find it, correct?" She allowed her right eye to sneak a quick look at him.

Dick stared at her, surprised at her explanation, "Uh, yeah, good point."

"A particular night comes to mind," Kory admitted, a smile gracing her lips once more. "It was a couple of weeks after your raid in my apartment and you spent what little free time you had with Katie and me, and we attempted to get to know one another again."

"I remember," Dick nodded. "You were still shaken up that I was alive."

"It's not something easily conquered, Dick." Kory retorted, "That sort of revelation can really mess with a person's psyche."

_Kory sat on the cold marble steps dolefully. She rested her chin in her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees. She wore a long white skirt with a purple top. She exhaled and began studying the designs the marble made on the floor. Alfred has whisked Katie away moments ago to change her diaper and then take her to the store with him. It was different, but Kory didn't mind a break. Plus, Alfred was an affable fellow and she trusted him with the care of her bumgorf._

_She felt her stomach twist and turn threateningly with each movement she made in the manor. Every once and awhile, she'd pinch herself to ensure she wasn't dreaming. This was all so surreal, and she couldn't make sense of any of it._

_The Titans told her, as they helped her move the few belongings she had (her bed, Katie's crib, and clothes), that he had faked his death. Kory responded with silence as she attempted to wrap her mind around it. It was not something she would have considered to evaluate at the time it occurred. As she attempted to make an addendum to her calculations she became even more puzzled. Why should Robin want to leave her, leave the Titans? And if he wanted to leave her, _them_, so badly, why did he have to fake his death? What was so hard about simply leaving?_

"Whoa, Kor, don't go there." Richard interrupted. They had returned to the couch, cuddled up under their blanket, as this was the most comfortable position. At least, that's what each of them argued as they looked at each other helplessly.

Kory lifted her head from where it was resting on Dick's chest, "Go where?"

Dick looked down at her, "I guess I'm just surprised that you wondered that."

"Why?"

"Well, Kor, every time you tried to just walk away from the team, I'd always stop you or the entire team would find out and we'd accompany you."

Kory pursed her lips, remembering her sister's first visit to Earth and her initial betrothal. "... Good point."

_Richard sauntered through the front entrance, eating a bright red apple. He tossed it in a trashcan when he noticed Kory, "Hi."_

"_Greetings," Kory mumbled unenthusiastically, still focused on the marble colorings. _

"_Why so glum, chum?" Richard inquired, as he took a seat next to her._

_Kory attempted a smile, "I am not glum. Your adoptive father and Alfred have been most hospitable, I am free from Jason, Katie is safe and loves it here, and you're... You're alive. I'm doing quite well."_

_Dick arched an unconvinced brow, "Are you ready to tell me the truth, now that you got that lazy attempt out of your system?"_

_She was still the same Star he left in Jump City, he asserted to himself, just with more strings attached._

_Kory emitted a sigh and studied him carefully, "I do not understand."_

"_What don't you understand?"_

"_You, me, us, this, your death, how we got here..." She listed off the top of her head._

"_I see."_

"_Richard," Kory tested the name that she still wasn't used to, "why did you fake your death?"_

_Richard looked extremely uncomfortable and he shrugged, "I mean... I couldn't just say goodbye to you guys. You wouldn't understand and I'm really not good at saying goodbye either."_

"I'm _really_ not," Richard piped in.

"Sh."

"_So faking your death was the easiest..." Kory stated, contorting her face as she attempted to understand._

_Dick began rubbing the back of neck, still nervous. "It wasn't the best plan in the world, and I couldn't take it back once I did it. I panicked, and I was scared about us..."_

"_I understand."_

"_You do?"_

_Kory nodded, "You didn't want us to be sad about you leaving us so you pretended to be killed instead."_

"_Well, when you say it like that..." Dick frowned, "I was selfish, Kory. I didn't want to deal with the consequences that would come with saying goodbye. I didn't want to be subjected to bittersweet reunions or things like that."_

_Kory considered that information carefully, "And now that you've seen the effects of you pretending to die, do you think that it was the best choice?"_

"_I already said I didn't think it was." Dick mumbled, feeling like a kindergartener being punished for running away. "I can't take it back, Star. I sincerely apologize, for everything."_

_Kory's eyes swelled with tears threatening to overflow, "You are forgiven."_

_Without another word, he pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly. He didn't mind having her tears paint his shirt, nor did he mind that his best friend was pressed tightly to him once more. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear as he rocked her back and forth. "Thank you so much."_

_They sat there for a few moments, soaking in the company that they had each craved for so long._

"_I thought of you often," Kory mumbled into his chest._

"_Why's that?" Richard inquired, thinking about how often he thought of her in her absence from his life._

_Kory shrugged, "I couldn't fight Jason back, because I feared that it might reveal who I really was. But whenever I remembered you, I remembered how brave you were in face of adversity. I'd think of you and I wouldn't be afraid anymore, Richard."_

_Richard squeezed her closer to him, then asked, "Hey, would you like to dance with me?"_

_Kory looked up, puzzled. "But you hate dancing," she recalled._

"_When it's not with the right person," he smiled, looking down at her pretty face._

_A smile returned, "I'd love to."_

_Richard stood up and offered Kory his hand. She took it gingerly and he began twirling her around the front entrance of the manor as if they were teenagers again, like nothing had ever gone wrong._

"You're still the only person I'll ever dance with," Richard admitted, kissing her forehead softly. "That is, until it's time for me to dance with our girls on their wedding days."

Kory nuzzled her head into his chest, "Are you certain?"

"In fact, why don't we do so now?"

"Richard..." Kory attempted protest as he pulled her off the couch. He placed a firm hand on the small of her back and placed his right hand in hers.

They moved easily at first, like they did the day Alfred took Katie to the store. However, Kory soon became uncomfortable trying to look everywhere else but Richard's face.

"Kor, look at me, I've got you." Richard kissed her forehead sweetly.

Kory didn't know what had overcome her in that moment. Perhaps it was the memories that were all overflowing at once or perhaps it was because in that moment she felt like everything was alright again, despite how angry she was at her husband. She believed it was because of how truly exhausted she was. Whatever it was, when she willingly turned back to face Richard, she lost her control over it.

_"I really enjoy this, Richard." Kory smiled, pressing her forehead against his._

_"I am as well," Richard responded, swiftly bringing his lips to her forehead before twirling her around again. When she returned to his arms, he said, "I think I'm going to kiss you."_

_"I think I might like that." Kory answered as his lips brushed against hers lightly._

"I think I'm going to kiss you," she whispered sleepily, inching her face closer to his.

"I think I might like that." Dick breathed, closing the distance between them.

As soon as the kiss began, Dick clutched her back closer to his body. A fire was beginning to burn between them as they pressed themselves against one another. Kory had forgotten how much she truly adored his touch, his kiss. As he slipped his tongue into her mouth, Dick picked Kory off the ground and she wrapped her legs around him. "Is this okay?" Dick managed to get out as Kory moved her lips to his neck.

"Mhm."

"Good," Richard returned, moving his lips to her neck as Kory took a breather. He caressed her head as he turned and fell on the carpeted floor. Kory squealed in delight as she moved to unbutton his shirt.

Garfield was about to knock on the door when he heard Kory scream Richard's name. He peeked in the long, vertical window next to the door, worried she might have been about to kill the poor fellow, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Blushing, he turned on his heel and said to his wife, who was glaring at him through the car window, "Why don't we just go get them a toothbrushes from the store? They don't cost that much, and they'll have them for each sleepover."

"What happened?" Raven asked, surprised at her husband's sudden change in demeanor.

"Let's just say there has been a _dramatic_ change in events." Garfield answered, pulling his seat belt tightly across his body.

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo... You guys can pretty much assume what Kory and Dick are doing without a more detailed explanation, right? :) To be honest, I couldn't put it in more details even if I wanted to. Just let your mind do the guessing for you. :)**

**Thank you for all the reviews!**  
**Leave me your thoughts!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	10. The Problem with Forgiveness

Chapter 10:  
The Problem with Forgiveness

"Garfield, take off your shoes before you put a foot in my house," Raven warned, glaring at her husband's muddy shoes as she opened the front door to their quaint, but nice, two-story home. It had stopped pouring moments before they arrived at the Grayson household, leaving Garfield more prone to finding a grimy puddle.

"Yes, dear," Garfield grumbled as the four children scrambled past him and into the house.

"What was that all about anyway?" Raven asked once she was sure the children were out of earshot.

Garfield shrugged as he kicked his sneakers onto their front porch, "Mr. and Mrs. Grayson have appeared to have forgiven one another." He scratched the top of his head, "At least, that's what I gathered from my front-row seat at their window."

Raven's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me they..." Raven sighed and droned, "That will come back and bite them later."

"Perhaps," Garfield admitted, "but I've got to hand it to Dick, he sure knows how to sweet talk a woman. I should ask him his secret sometime."

Raven emitted a grunt as she whacked the man over the head. "It seems too suspicious to me. I think we may need to keep Marie and Katie here longer than we thought..."

As if she heard her name, sweet Marie stumbled toward Raven. She had her mother's dark red hair and her father's blue eyes, which currently held giant tears. Marie held up her finger, "Miss Rae-Rae, I have a boo-boo."

"I can see that, Marie!" Rave said as she examined the slight trickle of blood that came out of a scratch. She stooped down to pick the four-year-old up, "How about we clean that nasty boo-boo up and put a bandage on it? Maybe when we're done, Mr. Gar can get you some ice cream!"

The little girl squealed with delight, tears and pout gone as she wrapped her small arms tightly around Raven's neck.

As she stepped away, she turned to Gar, "Please begin the interrogation process with your son Jeremy."

Gar nodded and sighed at her retreating figure. They didn't have it all together, but he was crazy about that woman.

* * *

Dick aroused the next morning to the sun pouring in through the blinds. At some point in their altercation the night before, Kory had flown them up the stairs and into their bedroom. He opened his eyes groggily and stared at the snoozing princess in awe. With the hand wrapped around her slim frame, he reached for her hair, now well past her shoulders, and stroked it tenderly. He had forgotten how smooth and delicate it felt to his hands. A smile found its way on his face; he was content. Silently he wondered why he couldn't spend every day like this, with her wrapped up snuggly in his embrace. He shifted his weight so he could get closer to her, allowing his other hand to rest on the small of her back.

Kory opened her eyes sleepily. "Good morning," Richard greeted, admiring her beautiful green eyes.

"Greetings," Kory breathed happily, turning so she could bury her face in Richard's chest. She took in his aroma and sighed, "I love you, Richard."

"I love you, Kory."

Without any warning, realization hit Kory. Her eyes widened and she sat up, pushing herself away from her husband. Self-consciously, she wrapped the sheets around her body tightly and covered her mouth with her left hand.

Richard sat up and chuckled at her antics, "Kory, I'm your husband. Don't tell me you're embarrassed to show your body to your husband."

Kory shook her head, "I-It isn't that, Richard."

"Then what is it?"

"Richard, we're supposed to be getting a divorce!"

"We _might_ get a divorce, Kory. However, unlike you, I'm _hoping_ for the best." Richard exclaimed, standing up.

Kory shut her eyes, "Please, please cover yourself."

Richard rolled his eyes, stomped over to their dresser and pulled out red boxers, "I swear, sometimes you act like a child!" He pulled his trunks on, "Are you happy now, Kory?"

"...Yes."

Richard let out a defeated sigh and walked toward Kory's side of the bed. He kneeled next to her, "I'm sorry for getting angry."

"I... I forgive you," Kory whispered. It was probably the first time she'd forgiven him in a long time. Then, she scooted toward her right to make more room for her husband. She patted on the seat next to her to show she had done that for him. Dick smiled amiably and took a seat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"It was done to relieve tension," Kory rationalized out loud. "That's what it was. It meant nothing but as an escape, to relieve all that built up stress between us."

"Kory..."

"Sh."

"But Kory," Richard forced out, "sex is supposed to be the purest form of conversation between husband and wife."

"So then-"

Dick interrupted her with a hearty chuckle, "This reminds me of our wedding night."

Kory's cheeks turned rosy red at the mention of that, "Why would you suggest such a thing?"

"Remember?" Dick asked, still laughing, "You were so embarrassed about sharing your body with me."

_"Oh, must we, Richard? Can we not be husband and wife without partaking in that particular pleasing activity?" Kory inquired from the bathroom in their suite. It had been a little over a year since the Titans broke into her apartment, a month since Garfield and Raven were wed._

_Dick opened the door to give her an amazed look, "Kory... You were married for two years, and you have a daughter."_

_The said toddler was being cared for by Alfred and Bruce at Wayne manor, and would be passed among the team each week until the couple returned from their honeymoon._

_"Yes I know but-"_

_"Kory, it'll be fine."_

_Kory threw her hairbrush at the bathroom sink, "Richard, I don't remember having sex with Jason. We did it once and I woke up the next morning to discover I was pregnant."_

_Richard looked as if he had been slapped in the face, "Oh... Wait, how?"_

_Kory sighed, "Tamaranian women, when pregnant with their first child are forewarned before they do anything dangerous by a green liquid-"_

_Richard held up a hand to stop her, "Perhaps it's best I didn't know the exact details."_

_"Right," Kory blushed. "Anyway, we're warned the first time we get pregnant, so for the remainder of our marriage, I didn't make love with Jason. I was pregnant for most of the time and when I wasn't, he spent all his time at work or harming me."_

_"I'm sorry," Dick apologized, walked to where she stood and embraced her in a tight hug._

_Kory returned it, doing her best not to crush his muscular back. Then, she slipped her face under his chin and kissed him, gently at first but after a few moments a bit forcefully. Dick didn't need to be told twice. He scooped her up bridal style and carried her to their bed._

_"I suppose I can get over my fear, for you." She whispered as he slipped off her purple, silk nightgown._

Kory giggled, "A rough beginning, but that became a most pleasurable evening, if I remember correctly."

"No kidding," Dick responded, grinning at the memory.

Kory stretched her taut muscles and yawned, "Maybe we shouldn't get a divorce."

Richard deadpanned, then scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, are you sure, Kor? You seemed pretty adamant about it earlier..." His eyes wandered, admiring her luscious tan skin. Part of him yearned for what he knew what was under the bedding.

Kory shook her long mane, "I do not know, Richard."

"Can you talk about it with me, please?"

The Tamaranian princess cast him a questioning glance but soon gave in. "I've been struggling with forgiveness for awhile, now Richard. It used to come so easily to me. The longest I could get angry at anybody was a day, and I'd always forgive them if they discussed the matter with me." The particular memory she had in mind was when the team was stranded on a hostile alien planet and Robin had wanted "space."

"That's understandable, Star. I have a hard time with forgiveness sometimes, too."

"You don't understand," Kory hissed, particularly at her old nickname. "I'm not the same 'Star' you left in Jump City nine years ago, Dick. She died a long time ago, possibly along with what she thought was you." She pulled her knees to her chest as tears began pouring out, "Earth has made me more cold, more hostile than Tamaran could ever dream of. Through all the lies, being beaten almost consistently, practically having to rear my two daughters by myself because one father is a criminal and the other is a superhero-Earth has beaten me."

"Starfire," Richard said, pulling her shoulders so she'd have to look at him, "You're hurt, I get that. I probably understand that more than anyone could possibly imagine-don't look away from me. But, Starfire, I know how to forgive, I know how to hope, and, most importantly, I know how to love." He wrapped his firm arms around her limp body and, after resisting for a moment, she returned the hug. "It's okay if you don't remember how to do those things, my love. I can teach you. I'll take less hours at the office, and you can join the team when we go to fight crime. We'll set up a system so that the kids always have someone to watch over them, or we can just have Alfred take care of them all. But, hey," he pulled away and lifted her chin so she could look at him, "I love you. And nothing that I've done or you've done or we've both done out of our selfishness is going to change that."

He wiped away her tears as she sobbed out, "C-can it be fi-ixed that ea-easily?"

"Oh, Kory," Dick gave her a sympathetic smile. "Nothing is ever that easy, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to XxScarletxRosexX for brainstorming with me. :) They're THAT much closer! :) Leave me your thoughts! :)**

**God bless,**  
**Rose**


	11. The Problem with Secret Identities

Chapter 11:  
The Problem with Secret Identities

Richard watched his wife intently as he cooked their scrambled eggs. She was sitting at the kitchen table, concentrating outside the window at the small pond behind their backyard.

He knew that having sex in their predicament wasn't the best choice to make, but it had been done and he intended to make the best out of it. Kory seemed more than willing to call their divorce lawyers and tell them they would no longer be requiring their services. As she ripped the packet to shreds with her Tamaranian strength, it looked as though a huge burden had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Nonetheless, something seemed off to him. It had seemed that way since this ordeal began five months prior. He understood how frustrating it could be when he was working all the time; he wanted nothing more to get home to his wife and daughters himself. He knew that he shouldn't have lied about his engagement to Babs, but Kory seemed to be well past that. At least, she seemed more than willing to forgive him for it when they discussed it after getting out of bed. She had told him that she had wanted something to be angry at him for. Those were the conditions: lying and never being home. Richard promised to work on both, yet, somehow, it seemed like there was something more to his wife's divorce desires than she was making clear.

He just couldn't place his finger on it.

His mind went through thousands of files on his life and determined that those were the only two major faults that could damage a marriage. He considered the minor things but Kory wasn't a prima-donna, she didn't let little things get to her. It was always the huge things, like lying to her, not being home on time, or telling her she was "neither a girl nor his friend."

Then Richard stopped for a moment and realized not being home on time wasn't necessarily a huge fault, but it had become one since it happened nearly every night. Plus, it was mostly because he had allowed his determination become to the point of obsession, something Kory was not always fond of but understood, to an extent.

As he scooped the eggs into their white bowls, he thought, _There's got to be something she's hiding from me. Around the time she kicked me out of our room, she refused to let the girls play anywhere without her supervision. Something is weird about all of this. Perhaps something upset her or scared her that she can't let go of. Or maybe she messed up along the line and isn't willing to forgive herself for it. There's something more than what appears here, I just wish I knew what it was._

Kory continued to stare out the window as her husband placed the bowl of steaming hot eggs in front of her. Her mind relapsed to five-and-a-half months before, when her nightmares truly began to take form.

_It was a Friday morning, and she had gone for a run, like she did every morning before Richard went to work. Her long hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and she wore a purple tank top with matching shorts. It was nice to be able to stretch her legs without having Marie or Katie at her side for once. Not that she didn't enjoy being a mother, she did, but she always needed some time to herself. Her morning runs were that time, time she could have to herself as she mentally prepared for the day._

_As she came to the stop sign, there were no cars waiting to continue forward. Kory found this weird, as it was seven in the morning and a lot of people went to work early. She didn't think much of it though as she was about to make a turn onto the next street. She was stopped, though, by her hair being yanked, hard, from behind. She began struggling immediately, and just as she let out a scream, a sock was stuffed in her mouth. She was forced into a nearby bush. There, her masked attacker held her arms tightly as he wrapped duct tape around them. Then, taking hold of her shoulder, he pressed a button on his belt._

_"Miss me, Cutie?" An all-too-familiar voice rang through her ears as she opened her eyes to a dark room. She was strapped to a long table and she began to force herself out of her trap. She no longer had duct tape wrapped around her but bright, red rope-like material encompassing her wrists and ankles._

_"Ah, ah, ah!" His voice recoiled and he pressed a button on a remote he held in his hand. It zapped the princess, not strong enough to damage her but strong enough to cause her minimal harm. _

_Shocked, she refused to struggle anymore. Instead, she addressed her attacker, "What do you want, Jason?"_

_"Oh, she does remember me!" He chuckled, stepping into the little light that was in the room, "I thought that since you had your little friend try to scramble my memory, you wouldn't give me another thought."_

_Kory's jaw dropped, "But, I thought it worked! And why aren't you in jail? You're supposed to be in jail!"_

_"Kory, Starfire, Kory, you should know by now that it's not that easy to get rid of me... I got out early on good behavior," he yawned, "and your friend isn't nearly the talented sorceress she believes herself to be. I had my memory back within a month."_

_"No," Kory moaned._

_"And from now on," he continued, "you will call me Red X. Not Jason. Jason Todd no longer exists."_

_"Anything else?" Kory hissed, not completely sure how threatening calling him Red X was._

_"I know everything about your family and friends," Red X taunted from his skull mask, the mask her current husband used to don at a dark period in his life. "I know their secret identities, where they work, what schools all of your children attend, when you are home and when you are not. For example, I know that you go running every morning at seven, while your beloved Richard is still home with the girls. I know that on Fridays, he doesn't have to get into the office until a bit later than the rest of the days of the week." He let out a dark, twisted laugh, "I have been watching your little group of pals for a very long time."_

_Kory attempted to not allow the fear become evident on her face, "And what do you intend on doing with that information?"_

_Another laugh echoed through the room. Kory's eyes had adjusted to the lack of light and could now see that the room she was in was, essentially, vacant. "Oh, I don't intend to do anything with the information I have so lovingly placed at my disposal. That stands, as long as you do exactly as I say."_

_"I'll do anything you want," Kory responded, almost a whisper. She knew how important it was to protect their secret identities, to protect her friend's lives, her daughter's lives, with everything she had._

_The mask came off, "Excellent."_

_Kory had been raped several times before. As a Gordanian "prize," as she was, it was very common. She found that when a human raped her it was, at least, more comfortable because humans don't have scales. She shuddered at the thought; no matter who did it to her, it was still horrible. She could feel her ribs cracking under Red X's forceful weight, her arms tender from behing held in place._

_She had been scratched, she had been violated, she had been bruised and badly beaten up. Her hair was even a mess. Red X sighed contently as he zipped up his pants. _

_"That'll do for now," he pressed another button that released her from her chains. "And don't dare even think about telling your precious friends about this."_

_"But how do I merely show up back at my house looking like this?" Kory inquired as she stood up, her entire body shaking in the process. She was referring, mostly, to the very obvious bruises that stretched across her body and her ripped clothing._

_"Good point, Princess," he placed his mask back on his face. "I believe your friend Raven is home alone at the moment, enjoying some herbal tea. Her husband is still gone and her boys are snoozing. How about I drop you off there?"_

_"Do you truly believe she'll keep silent about this?"_

_"She will if you tell her what's at stake," Red X retorted, "and if I find her or anybody else coming after me, you can kiss goodbye to your precious identitites." He held her at her shoulder, "Oh, and Kory?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"This will be a frequent occurence. Every Friday morning, I expect to meet you at that bush. If you avoid it, if you change your schedule in anyway possible, you will pay for it. Understood?"_

_Kory looked straight ahead, not allowing her facial expressions betray her, "Yes."_

Richard snapped his fingers in front of Kory's dazed face. She blinked several times before asking, "Yes, Richard?"

"Hey, hon, you've barely touched your eggs. Are you feeling okay?"

Kory studied the concern her husband was looking at her with, then smiled. "I'm feeling slightly unwell, thank you for asking. I think I'll just make myself some tea." She stood, a little shakily at first, Richard noted, but soon was able to walk steadily toward the cabinets.

_Kory rang the doorbell to her friend's home, then collapsed, holding her stomach tightly. Raven opened it after a few seconds, her eyes wide at what she saw, "Kory?"_

_"Don't tell Richard about this, please," Kory whispered as her friend picked her up and brought her inside._

_"But, Kory, you're hurt." Raven responded, stating the obvious._

_"He can't find out, Raven. Promise me. This is between the two of us, and nobody else." Kory's voice croaked as a single tear began to run down her cheek, "He'll ruin our lives if anybody else finds out, Raven. Our secret identities... Your spell didn't last... You have to fix me up, please."_

_They were in Raven and Garfield's bathroom at this point. Raven had set her friend down in a chair facing the mirror. She could feel everything Kory was feeling; a sense of dire panic and uneasiness entered her mind as she healed the scratch marks and her ribs. _

_"I'll help you," Raven said, the emotion soaring through her not evident in her tone of voice. She moved her hands around Kory's damaged body, desparately wanting to kill whoever did this to her. "But, tell me, what happened?"_

_Kory took a deep breath then proceeded to tell her friend the events of her morning, calmly._

_Raven found an old bottle of Kory's cover-up in order to address the now yellowing bruises, "If you don't comply, he'll be able to do whatever he wants with the rest of us."_

_"Essentially, yes." Kory sighed, wincing at Raven's touch. "And I can't tell anyone but you. He's watching us, Raven, he's always watching us."_

_"We'll figure something out, Kory." Raven decided, looking over her handiwork. "I'm not sure what yet, but we'll figure it out. I wish there was some way to go about this properly. I just don't know..."_

* * *

Raven took a sip of her herbal tea, remembering that morning. She had promised Kory that they would be able to figure it out, but five-and-a-half months had gone by and she still couldn't think of anything. She didn't know how to make it stop, and if Red X was always watching, like Kory believed, then she couldn't exactly call the other Titans and let them know.

If she could only find out where he had placed all those cameras, she might have a chance, maybe..."

"Aunt Raven?" Katie drew the woman out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Katie?"

Katie held out two drawings of her family, "I made one for Mommy and one for Daddy because they seem so sad lately."

Raven smiled at the little girl examining the almost identical drawings. The Grayson family was standing in front of their home, the stick drawings of Kory and Dick were holding hands, and Marie and Katie stood next to them with the world's largest smiles. "I'm sure they'll love it, Kat-" Raven paused, a frown replacing her smile, "What's that?" She pointed to a bush next to the house Katie drew. There seemed to be something in it.

"That's X. I see him looking around sometimes. He likes our house a lot, so I decided to include him.

_So it is true that little kids know more than we give them credit for_, Raven mused. "Katie, I don't think you should include that in your drawing. It might upset your mother."

Katie nodded and turned to edit her artwork with scissors.

Raven took a long sip out of her drink, wondering if she needed to tell Kory about it. She sat down at her desk and began typing away at her work for the day, deciding to pull her friend outside for a chat when she dropped the kids off.

* * *

**A/N: Dun, dun, dun!**

**I'm sorry, Kory's my favorite character, but I sure do love torturing her. :S**

**A lot of you thought the story would be ending soon, what with Richard and Kory's reconciliation... and I hate to tell you that it won't be... Mostly because of unfinished business with Jason Todd. Did you guys REALLY think it'd be that easy? Hm? Think again!**

**Let me know what you think about this part of the story.**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	12. The Problem with Art

Chapter 12:  
The Problem with Art

Katie could not fall asleep that night. She had visions haunting her concerning what her father would do when he noticed the strange man with the X drawn over his face in her drawing.

She had been instructed to cut the figure out of her drawing, which she did, except only with the one she would give to her mother. She couldn't help but feel as though it was too important not to show to her father. She tucked it away in his brief case as soon as she got home from the Logan's house and then decided she would give her mother the other drawing.

She didn't know who the man with the skull mask with the red x painted on it was. She assumed he must have been a friend, because he seemed so concerned with her house when she peeked out the window and saw him. But when Miss Raven told her that it might upset her mother, Katie became more concerned.

_If the skull man is a stranger-danger, like Miss Dana says at school, then Daddy needs to know about him. _She thought as she cut the man out of her first drawing. She then wrote, in large letters, "To: Mommy From: Katie." She did the same with the one with the X-man on it, except she addressed that one to "Daddy."

Now, she could only wait to see what would happen when her father found out.

* * *

_Katie knows something._

That was all she could think of, after Raven dropped off her daughters the day before and informed the red-head of Katie's drawing.

Kory pulled her sleek long hair into a ponytail after she pulled on a sports bra and workout clothing. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she thought of this, whatever it was, exactly. She began her stretches by first pulling her long arms behind her shoulders and pulling. After that she leaned over to touch her toes.

Richard, who had just finished making their bed, admired her flexibility from behind. He walked past her toward the bathroom, pinching her butt on his way.

"Eep!" Kory squeaked and looked over at her husband, who was resting against the doorframe. He had succeeded in pulling her out of her thoughts, at least for the moment. He winked at her as she folded her arms over her chest and pouted.

"What?" He sauntered over to her, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously, "Did that upset you, dear?"

"It only upset me because I can not have more of it," Kory huffed as he stepped closer to her. She looked him over; he had already dressed in his suit for work, and only needed to put on his tie. He looked very handsome in his suit, almost as attractive as when he was wearing tights. She blushed as she realized she had let her mind wander.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain of that," Richard returned, closing the gap between them. He enveloped his strong arms around her sweetly, holding her close to his body as he pressed his lips against hers.

"Glorious." Kory mumbled against his lips.

Their moment together was short-lived as their bedroom door creaked open and the two jumped apart, embarrassed. Katie stared up at them with a smile, grasping her little sister's hand, "Mommy, Daddy, I'm ready for school."

"Oh, my bumgorfs! I forgot to wake you this morning!" Kory cried as she surveyed her daughters carefully, surprised at the color coordination they seemed to possess and that neither child had her clothes on backwards, nor their shoes on the wrong feet.

"I thought you guys accidentally slept in, like I do sometimes, so I went ahead and got ready." Katie admitted, showing off her pearly-whites to her parents.

Richard kneeled down do reach their level, "Katie, did you help Marie get ready this morning?"

Katie bobbed her light brown hair, "Yes, Daddy."

"Did you two get breakfast?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Excellent work!" Dick praised, embracing his two girls. Then he pulled back, "And what did you eat for breakfast?"

"Donuts."

Richard glanced up at his wife he suppressed a giggle. He sighed, looking back at them, "I guess that's good enough for now. Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes, Daddy." Marie beamed, clearly proud of herself.

"Oh, I'm so proud of my girls!" Richard stood up, "I need to go grab my tie and then I'll take you, Katie, okay?"

"Uh," Kory interrupted as he turned around, "would you mind taking Marie with you to work? I think she has a few of her toys down there... I have some things I need to get done today and it'd be nice not to have her wandering toes all over the place."

Dick grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it, "Of course."

With that, he sprinted into the bathroom, grabbed the first tie he saw, which happened to be red, and then walked back over where his three girls stood. He kissed his wife on the cheek and waved goodbye as he took their daughters down the steps.

Kory shook her head at the three of them, her family, as they left her alone with her thoughts. The emtpiness, the void, filled her mind again. She believed that it was already becoming too dangerous for her daughters at this point, and that upset her.

She did have something she needed to do that day, and that was to search for the place that Red X held her captive every Friday morning. She couldn't have Marie with her when she did that; it was far more dangerous than she was comfortable with.

All of this was.

Besides, Dick wasn't the only one who could be a detective in the Grayson family.

* * *

Raven nearly slammed on her breaks as she reached the intersection, "That's it!"

"What's it, Mommy?" Preston inquired from the backseat, attempting to keep his breakfast down from the sudden jolt that went through his tiny body.

"Oh, nothing, sweetie, Mommy's just thinking out loud." She turned flicked her right turning signal on, changing her directions, "I think we'll go pay Uncle Richard a visit in his office, and get the groceries later, boys."

"Why, Mom?" Jeremy asked, playing with his green T-Rex toy.

"I have something to discuss with him." Raven said monotonously, speeding until she reached the highway that would lead her to Wayne Enterprises.

_Why didn't you think of that before? You've had your connection with him for over ten years, of course you can talk with him without really talking to him! He can know! Glorious day, glorious day!_

_Be quiet, _Raven hissed at Happy. _I can't concentrate with you bouncing around all over the place._

_Wait, _Logic argued, _you haven't used your connection in a long time, not since you thought he was dead. It might not work anymore._

_I don't care, _Raven reasoned, _because all that matters is that there's a chance. Kory may have hope, she can be happy again. I'm willing to risk it for that._

* * *

Richard stared at the drawing Katie had folded into his briefcase. Marie was playing with her dolls in front of his desk, off in her own, three-year-old fantasy world. He had opened it, feeling thankful that his daughter had left him something sweet for him to keep in his office that would cheer him up when he had to stay late.

That is, until he unfolded it and felt his blue eyes drawn to the skull mask marked with a red x on it that hid in the bushes. What had his daughter seen?

He reached for his T-Communicator and used it as a cell phone by dialing the number to the Gotham Police Department, "Hello, this is Nightwing. I was just inquiring on the status on the villain Red X?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nightwing, sir, but we don't have a Red X in our systems," a woman's voice responded sweetly after he heard typing on the other line.

"What about Jason Todd?" There was more clicks on the other end, telling him she was looking him up.

"Jason Todd has been released from GPD Prison almost six months ago, sir. Is there a complaint you'd like to file with the GPD about him?"

"I'm not sure yet. Thank you for your time." He closed the T-Communicator and slipped it back in his pocket. He groaned and began rubbing his temples furiously, wondering what his daughter's drawing meant.

He was out of prison, he knew that much, but had he been spending his free time watching his house? If that was so, as the drawing indicated, then how did he find out? His memory was supposed to have been wiped clean of any trace of their secret identities.

_Unless the spe-_

A loud, obnoxious ringer interrupted his thoughts. He picked up the office phone, "Richard Grayson."

"Hello, Mr. Grayson," his secretary's voice came nervously through the phone, "there's a woman here with two boys. She goes by the name of Mrs. Raven Logan. Should I send her up or tell her to go away?" He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was clearly either disturbed or confused by his friend's presence. Regardless, it sounded like it belonged to a snobby, judgmental blonde woman, which it did.

Richard grinned, "Send her up."

"Yes sir."

"And Kitten?" Richard said before hanging up the phone.

"Yes, sir?"

"I expect you to be cordial to everyone who steps into this building, clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you." He placed the phone on its hook and waited until Raven stepped into his office with her twin boys.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, guys! Thanks to those of you who reviewed and to everyone who has read up to this point. I truly appreciate it! ^_^**

**And I just had to share this with you guys... I watched the 1966 version of Batman (the one where the Riddler, the Joker, Catwoman and the Penguin all get together and try to take over the world) last night with a group of friends, and I have to say it was quite hilarious. If you haven't watched it, I definitely recommend it. You may never take Batman or Robin seriously ever again, but it may just be worth it...**

**"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb." - Batman**

**"My name is Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisoff. I work for the Moscow Bugle." - Catwoman**

**"But wait! It happened at the sea! 'C' for Catwoman!" - Robin**

**"They may be drinkers, Robin, but they're still human beings!" - Batman**

**...I could go on and on about which parts I thought were funny. Just watch it. You'll love it. ****The logic, the humor... It was all phenomenal. It's nice to get a good laugh from it all. :)**

**Sorry for my rambling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**God bless,**  
**Rose**


	13. A Meeting of Minds

Chapter 13:  
A Meeting of Minds

Kory began her search as though she were taking her daily morning jog. Before she left she made sure she slipped her T-Communicator in her shorts pocket, just to be safe. It never hurt anybody to take the extra precautions in life. She didn't intend to make the same mistake again.

She inhaled sharply as she ran, enjoying the fresh air that came along with early fall. She was very thankful that she no longer had to be subjected to the pollution that came with city traffic. That was nearby, but never close enough to fill her lungs with the toxins she despised.

It helped that it wasn't a cloudy day, the sun was bright and warm. Kory loved feeling the suns rays radiating onto her skin. She took a moment to soak it in, allowing it to give her strength, to give her power.

She stopped at the bush Red X had pulled her into several months before. Typically, she did her best to avoid looking at it due to the memories that came with it. She had never considered studying it before, but now couldn't help but speculate if it had any clues as to where she was held captive every Friday morning. It was the only clue she had to go off of, and she wanted to take it. She surveyed her surroundings, making sure she wasn't being watched, before she stepped into the bush. She crouched close to the ground and noticed a rusted metal door with a single bar used to open it.

_This is the only way I can stop the madness, _she encouraged herself, attempting to calm her pounding chest and sweaty palms. She took a deep breath and opened the door. As she peered in all she could see was total blackness. She took a deep breath,_ When Starfire investigates, she intends to investigate thoroughly. That's what you're doing, Starfire. You can do this._

She hopped into the hole. She began to hover just as she was about to hit the hard, concrete floor. She lit a starbolt and found that she was in a sewer. Her nose crinkled in familiar disgust, _Why does it always have to be sewers?_

As she took in her surroundings, she paused. _But what am I to do if I am successful? What if I find it and Red X is there, waiting for me? _She swallowed hard, _No, Starfire. Do not allow yourself to consider the negatives. Speculate only on the positives. You will get through this. And once you find it, you can contact Richard and he will know what to do._

She wandered along the large gutter, practically mindlessly for several minutes. She stopped, recognizing how hopeless she was becoming.

She reached for her pocket and pulled out the yellow device, "Cyborg, can you hear me?"

"Starfire?" Cyborg questioned, wondering what she was up to. "Now's not a really good time, I'm at work-"

"Please, friend." Starfire interrupted, "I know it is not the ideal time but I require your assistance. Will you help me?"

She heard him sigh, "What do you need me to do?"

"Can you send me a map of the city's sewer system? Particularly the area in our neighborhood?"

"I'll get those to you right away," Cyborg acceded. "But why?"

"I'm doing a bit of undercover work..." Starfire lied.

"Does Nightwing know about this?"

Starfire stopped in her tracks, "Please send the map to the other Titans as well."

"Affirmative. Stay safe, little lady, whatever it is you're doing."

* * *

"Does Kory know who your secretary is?" Raven smirked as she stepped into Richard's spacious office with her two boys in her arms.

"It's good to see you, too, Raven, Jeremy, and Preston." Richard greeted with a roll of his eyes and then addressed her question, "Yes, she knows, and she also knows that I did not hire her. Apparently, when I ran off to meet with you guys I missed the interviews for the secretary position. Bruce selected her for me, as he believed it would humble me." Richard forced a smile on his lips.

"And that worked out well, I presume." Raven put her boys on the ground next to Marie and kissed the top of her god-daughter's head.

"What did you need to discuss?" Richard questioned, inviting her to take a seat at his desk.

"Oh, nothing, I was just in town..." Raven said casually, attempting to throw off any bugs that could give her away. In her mind, she said, _Can you hear me?_

_Yes._

"Well that's very kind of you to take time to see me, when I know you're busy running your online bookstore and managing your two young ones." Richard grabbed a pencil and began playing with it in his fingers, twirling it around every few seconds. He recognized that Raven had wanted to keep this conversation more private than normal, and obliged to that while trying to act normally. _What's going on? Is there something you know that I don't? Red X was drawn in Katie's picture that she gave me. Has my daughter noticed something I haven't?_

_Slow down, _Raven warned. "There's always enough time to check up on old friends. How's work going?" Then, she answered him telepathically, _My spell wore off of Red X after a month, and he got out early on good behavior. I know... Really, I know way much more than you do, and I can't believe I didn't think to do this sooner. Your daughter has noticed something you haven't, but I don't blame you. You've been distracted by your wife's antics for the past several months._

"Work is going well. I've got a lot of shipments going out this week, so that's always good." He eyed Raven suspiciously, _Have my wife's "antics" been caused by anything in particular? _"What about your bookstore?"

_If you mean a creepy ex-husband with obsessive issues, then yes. _Raven offered him a small smile, "It's great, actually. I get to keep an eye on the boys while doing what I love. Not to mention that it's refreshing to know that people really enjoy books."

"But are also too anti-social to leave their houses," Richard joked buoyantly but Raven heard his mind snarl. _What has he been doing to her? _

"Of course." _Rape. Every Friday morning, and afterwards he leaves her on my porch so I can heal her._

_Why haven't you told me before? _Raven heard the sound of teeth clenching and she sat down, trying to look bored.

_I didn't know I could, _she admitted. _X threatened Kory that if he didn't do exactly as he told her to do, including allowing him to force himself upon her, we could say goodbye to our comfortable private lives. Obviously, Kory couldn't come home every Friday morning for you to see her badly bruised and beaten. He extended the threat to me._

Richard was about to think a response back to her when their communicators went off. They stared at each other before pulling it out of their pockets. On the screen displayed a map of the city's sewer system, in the Titan's neighborhood. Under it read, "Here's the map you wanted, Star. I sent it to everyone else, like you asked me to." There was a blinking red dot that was moving along the corridors. Richard assumed that Cyborg did more than just send them all a map, but also set it to track their defiant alien princess.

"What is she doing?" The two friends asked in unison.

Then Raven spoke, "I think I know where the entrance is to this... She talked about having to meet X at a bush every Friday morning. I think it might be there."

Without hesitating another moment, Richard reached for his phone and pressed a button. "Hey, Bruce, would you mind calling Alfred? And then could you wait in my office with the kids until he gets here?"

The aging businessman rubbed his eyes, "What's wrong, Dick?"

"Kory's in trouble," Dick retorted impatiently, "and with her, all of our private lives. We have to make sure she's okay."

"Roger that. I'll be down in a flash."

Richard pressed another button, "Kitten, please postpone all appointments I have made for today to tomorrow. I will not be in for the remainder of the day."

"Yes sir."

Before Richard could hang up, Mr. Wayne stepped through the doors, "Good morning, Raven."

"Morning Bruce."

Bruce turned his attention to the kids. Preston and Jeremy were wrestling as Marie watched inquisitively.

"Lead the way, Raven."

* * *

Starfire fumbled for her T-Communicator as it went off. She studied the map carefully, recognizing the blinking red dot and smiling at her friend's over-protectiveness of her. "According to this, there should be a large room just at the end of this gutter," she mused aloud as she flew straight ahead.

She stopped as she came to a large steel door, that touched the ceiling. Around it, the water had ceased to go any further before it. "How curious," Starfire commented as she landed on her feet with a soft thud. She attempted to open the door in front of her but it was stuck. She huffed in annoyance as she used her Tamaranian strength to compel the door open.

Once inside, she lit her starbolts as she explored the capacious room where she was held captive, urging herself to press forward. Her heart was thrashing around inside her chest in protest and small droplets of sweat formed on her face. She did her best to ignore it all, finding herself being attracted to the lit screens in the right hand corner of the room.

She found herself questioning why she hadn't noticed this area in the room before. She reached the various screens, taking a seat in the chair in front of them. She recognized each place that was on display: the Logan household, the Stone household, Wayne manor, her home, all of the places that her friends worked, Katie's classroom...

Starfire couldn't help but throw several starbolts at the screens. She was livid that this even existed. She wanted to get rid of it, rid him from ever spying on her family, her entire family, ever again. The entire display began smoking and hissing because of the impact. She smirked, satisfied at the destruction it had caused and praying to God that he couldn't get any more footage from their homes.

"Well that wasn't very nice, Cutie."

* * *

**A/N: Quick update, I know, but I had to get it written... And I'm happy with what I have. ^_^**

**Please send me your thoughts. :)**

**God bless,**  
**Rose**


	14. The Problem with an Obsessive X

**A/N: Sorry for the late update, guys! It's been crazy! Please don't hurt me for being over a month late D:**

**Also, I really hope you guys catch the pun of this chapter's title. If not, my creativity and cleverness was wasted on you. Shame on you! (But really, I could never waste such things on you guys! You're all worth it, but I will be disappointed if you don't get it.)**

Chapter 14:  
The Problem with an Obsessive X

"That depends on your definition of nice, Red X." Kory retorted, her hands lit up with bright green orbs as she turned to face him. He had his arms folded over his chest, staring her blank in the eye. "My definition of nice has nothing to do with spying on the family and friends of my ex simply because I have issues with moving on."

"Aw, I'm your 'X'?" The man cooed, "How sweet. But it's not just you who I have a problem with. I have a problem with your entire Titan family, not just you. You're just the most... _pleasing_ to harm..." Then, he added, "Besides, harming you can only lead to more harm to Dicky-poo."

"You're sick." She spat in his direction.

"So is taking a man's daughter away."

"She isn't your daughter, if I have anything to say about it."

"If the DNA matches..."

"It doesn't matter," her hands glowed threateningly. "DNA makes you a biological father, yes, but you are not her family and you'd never risk your life to protect her as Richard has. You were _abusive,_ and you were harmful. If you ever think I would let any man raise my daughter that way, you have another thing coming."

Red X rolled his eyes from behind his mask, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Kory. Lots of talk and no play makes Red X grumpy for a whole day."

Before Kory could react, the sticky red substance encased her body.

* * *

The four Titans hovered in front of the open door.

"This is where X would take her?" Richard growled, pounding his right fist into his left palm.

Raven nodded, "It looks like this is it."

The crew glanced at their maps once more before Richard hopped into the hole.

As they walked along, Victor shook his head gloomily, "Man, I can't believe she had me send her that map. If I had known about all of this, if I had known that she was looking for X, I would have never sent her the map!"

Richard touched the half-robotic man on the shoulder sympathetically, "Nobody blames you, Victor. I blame myself for not knowing. I should have known... With her acting so odd these past several months... I'm supposed to be the detective here!"

"Dudes, no one blames anyone for anything." Garfield piped up from next to Raven, "These things happen... Okay, so maybe not exactly this happens every day, but we've faced worse situations before. We've made mistakes. None of us have been paying attention this time. We've managed before and we'll be just as successful this time, if not more. We'll get through this. We're a team, we're a family. We, Kory, will be okay."

"I certainly hope so, Gar." Richard responded as they arrived at the opened door which Kory had slipped through several moments before. Richard studied the ground carefully, "Kory has been here, but she's not alone."

"This probably isn't the time express emotions, but Kory will never be alone," Raven commented dryly, a soft smile gracing her lips. The smile passed across the three other members as she continued to say, "She'll always have us, her family, her teammates."

Richard smiled at his old friend, "We've let her down in the past... _I_ let her down in the past, far too many times to count... But I don't intend on making the same mistake over and over. She's my wife, I'll keep her safe. That's a committment I intend to keep for the rest of my life. And I just wanted to thank you guys fo-"

His expression of gratitude shattered the moment a yelp of surprise and a thunderous crash was heard throughout the sewers.

"Titans, go!" Richard shouted.

* * *

Red X picked her up by her throat and held her against the wall next to where his security cameras were. He was crushing her throat against the wall as she stared ferociously back at him with her vibrant green eyes.

"Go ahead and kill me," Kory choked against his unyielding hands, struggling against him violently. "You won't make any of the other Titans fall for this trap of yours. The cat-and-mouse game that you love to play so much will be over. You'll lose if I die."

"But if you die, Richard will be miserable," X cooed as he tightened his grip around her neck. Before he could cause any real damage, he shifted his hand to her shoulder, as if recognizing something about the alien princess he had abused so immensely. "I don't know if you realize this, Cutie, but you're a _very_ attractive woman. A man would do anything just to be with you." He lifted his mask to show his mouth, which began to attack her neck with wet kisses. Kory winced as his lips left hot trails across her skin.

"The problem with that is that you'll _never_ satisfy me." He began biting at her neck at this point, ripping at her clothes. "No matter how many times I've had you, you always leave me wanting more." He nibbled at her ear, "Do you know what that can do to a man like me? That sort of addiction isn't healthy, Cutie."

"Obsession is never healthy, X." Kory hissed in return, finding a lapse in his death-grip which she thought she could break free from. As she pushed him off of her, she added, "I would recommend getting the psychiatric help for that!"

But as she attempted to fly away, X caught her by her ankle, pivoted, and slammed her back into the wall. The woman screamed before her body hit the solid cement, then fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Titans, go!" Red X heard from the other side of the entrance to his lair, and cursed under his breath.

As the Titans rushed into the ginormous room, Red X hit the middle button on his suit. "Perhaps, another time, Titans. Ta-ta."

Richard was just about to tackle him when his form disappeared from the room. He grunted as he fell to the floor, slamming his fist angrily into it.

Raven, meanwhile, was focusing her attention on Kory, "Richard, get over here quickly."

* * *

**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! So, Red X got away and Kory's passed out in a sewer. How's that for drama? :o) Please review and tell me what you think!**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	15. Wise Words from an Old Bat

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans and I don't own Batman either (though I wish I did).**

Chapter 15:  
Wise Words from an Old Bat

"Why isn't she waking up?" Richard growled in the chair next to his wife's limp body. They had laid her down on a bed in the Bat Cave, tending to Kory's wounds and waiting for her to wake up from her unconsciousness.

"I can't tell for sure." Raven shook her head, "I've tried to connect with her mind for hours. I can't reach her. I don't know what's going on." Garfield tightened his grip on his wife's shoulder comfortingly and kissed the top of her head. Raven's hand found its way to his and squeezed it.

"She should have been able to stand back up!"

"Dick, man, X threw her pretty hard against that wall. Her body needs time to heal." Victor remarked logically.

"Starfire doesn't though!" Richard moaned, reaching for her hand. He clasped his fingers around her palm. Her normally hot skin was ice-cold now, something that made this waiting process even more unbearable for Richard. "It's one of her powers; she's able to heal herself quickly..."

"Perhaps it's the stress on her body then, Richard." Raven retorted, finally allowing herself to sit down in a chair. Garfield began massaging her taut neck and shoulder muscles. Raven shook his hands off her uncomfortably and said, "It's my fault. If I hadn't been a wuss and figured out a way out of this mess sooner, she'd be okay. I'm sorry, Richard."

Richard offered his friend a weak smile, "It isn't your fault, Raven. If I hadn't been a selfish prick and faked my death, none of us would be here-"

"And neither would your daughters, Dick," a deep voice from behind him sounded. "You mustn't blame yourselves for the hurt Kory is going through today, be it emotionally or physically. If you have to blame anybody for anything, blame the son of a gun who actually did harm her."

"Jason Todd." Richard growled.

Bruce placed a restricting hand on Dick's left shoulder, "If you have to blame anybody, blame the son of a gun who actually did harm to her, _and then forgive him_."

The Titans shifted uncomfortably in their seats, especially Dick.

"I don't know how I can bring myself to forgive him, Bruce. I can't even forgive myself for the harm I've done to Kory..."

Bruce took a seat in the chair next to Richard, "Forgiveness isn't a natural human process. Kory is the most forgiving person I have ever met and she still struggled with it, as you all know full and well." He suppressed a burp and continued, "Wherever X is now, he's hurting as well. He's someone who was hurt many times in his past and wants someone, anyone to pay for that. Don't follow down that path, team. Once you get on it, it's hard to get off of it... I should know."

Without another word, the brooding hero of Gotham City stood and left the Bat Cave, leaving the Titans to muse over his words.

"He made an excellent point," Raven commented dryly, watching her best friend's chest heave up and down from the bed.

"But how?" Richard questioned, also watching his wife's chest with concern.

"You talk to the Master of forgiveness and grace." Victor answered, "I think it's time we all spent a little time praying."

Garfield grinned, "That sounds nice."

Together, the group of heroes prayed. They prayed over Kory, that God may heal her in His time. They prayed to learn how to forgive as God had forgiven them. They asked for help in forgiving one another for past trespasses. They prayed over Red X that they might learn to forgive him and be tested in that committment as well.

Forgiveness is never easy. It goes against everything in human nature. Humans want to be right, they want to be angry and they want to hold grudges. It's normal to do those things, but it's not necessarily right.

Richard was certain of one thing while they were praying: Red X needed to be shown love.

* * *

**A/N: Yep. The Titans are Christians in my story. :)**

**And I'm sorry for the short chapter, but at least I updated! :D School is about to start so I don't know how much more often I'll be able to update. :(**

**God bless,  
Rose**

**P.S. I made a new Tumblr account that has to do with Titan Shaming (titanshaming . tumblr . com). Make sure you check it out!**


	16. Missing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 16:  
Missing

That night, after the other Titans left, Richard moved his wife's still senseless body to their old bedroom in Wayne Manor. Before Dick and Kory bought a house, Bruce had allowed them to sleep in the bedroom Dick slept in as a kid. Before he became a Titan, the room was painted vibrantly with reds and yellows and greens, much like his Robin outfit and more like a circus. It was much more mature now. It was painted a deep shade of lavender and now lacked the typical knickknacks that all children played with at his age. His room once had a chest dedicated to the toys he played with his biological father, toys that he refused to touch after his parents were murdered. The toy chest was now gone, leaving indents on the carpet, but one thing from his past remained. Hanging above the bed was a Flying Grayson's poster. He only had two copies of this, one at Wayne Manor and one at his house with Kory. The one at his house was a bit more torn, mainly because of a somewhat brief encounter with Ding Dong Daddy.

Richard studied his wife's body carefully before climbing into the bed next to her. He had moved a heart monitor as well as other medical devices into the room with him. The sound of the heart monitor was comforting but also slightly disconcerting; he was relieved to know her heart was steady and healthy, but unnerved that he had to put her on the machine in the first place. He sighed, leaned over her body and kissed her gently on the forehead. After he prayed, he wrapped a strong arm around her body protectively, anxious of any night owls coming after her.

The next morning he woke up to Katie and Marie tugging at his bed sheet, "Daddy, is Mommy going to be okay?" Katie asked curiously. Both girls had pouted lips and sad eyes.

Richard groaned, trying to shake the sleepy stupor out of his body, and then glanced over at his wife's still body. He frowned at her unchanged position, "I don't know, Katie, but I do know that you need to get ready for school."

He took the two girls by the hands and walked them to the kitchen where Alfred had laid out scrambled eggs, french toast, and bacon for the group. As they sat down to eat, Alfred walked through the door, "Master Richard, Master Bruce will be taking Katie to school today and will bring Marie to work with him. He would like to tell you to take a day off, considering the circumstances."

Katie mumbled something under her breath, upset that she wouldn't be able to spend the day with her grandfather like her sister did. Marie, however, squealed with delight at the news.

Richard grunted as he scooted his seat in, "Thank you, Alfred. Tell him I appreciate it."

"Yes, sir." He began turning out the door.

"And Alfred?" Richard stopped him mid-turn.

"Yes, Master Richard?"

"Thank you for making us breakfast."

Alfred smiled, "You're very welcome, Master Richard."

When father and daughters finished their meals, Richard said, "Okay, you girls brush your teeth and get dressed, then find Grandpa. I'm going to check on your mother."

The girls nodded their agreement and Richard turned on his heel, noticing the greyness outside the windows. "And girls, tell your grandpa to be careful with all this fog."

"Yes, Daddy." Katie grumbled, still visibly upset about going to school instead of spending all day with her grandfather. Richard rolled his eyes and chuckled, heading toward his bedroom.

He took a deep breath as the door creaked open to the bedroom, silently praying that she had woken up. What he found in his room was something he never would have anticipated.

His heart nearly stopped beating at what lay before his eyes. His bed was made up, as if no one slept in it the night before. The window was wide open and Kory was nowhere to be found.

Before panic completely set in, Richard reached for his T-Communicator and sent each of the Titans an alert.

* * *

Kory was flying fast and far. She had to get away, she had to get somewhere safer than Earth, where she could get the help she needed. The help couldn't be found on Earth and none of her friends would ever be able to understand what was going on with her. At least, she didn't think they would. She had to get away. She had to go home.

* * *

"I don't know where she is!" Richard shouted in frustration at his communicator, answering Victor's question. "I went downstairs to eat lunch with the girls, came back up to check on her and she was missing." He took a calming breath, trying to keep a level head, "I checked the window for all signs of trespassing. It couldn't have been Red X, unless he used his belt. If he used his belt, then why would the window be open?"

He snapped his fingers, "Unless of course, he wanted to create a diversion so we'd think she'd left on her own accord..."

"Doesn't Bruce have some sort of shield over Wayne Manor to protect from things like Red X's belt?" Raven droned on the other line.

"Then she must have left on her own." Richard shook his head, "But why?"

"Panic, perhaps?" Victor questioned, "I know I'd be pretty freaked out if I woke up in your bed, man."

Richard glared at his friend, "I'm certain _my wife_ would be more than comfortable with sleeping in my bed, Vic. Thank you for your input."

"Maybe," Garfield interjected, "she woke up feeling thrown off and did what I do when I'm not feeling well-maybe she went to fly around for a bit, clear her mind out?"

If she hadn't been unconscious the entire day before, Richard might have believed that, but he couldn't. He couldn't explain why his wife was missing, and she wasn't picking up her communicator.

She was missing.

* * *

**A/N: So what could be wrong with Kory...?**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	17. Sisters

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans/Teen Titans Shorts.**

Chapter 17:  
Sisters

The alien princess took shallow breaths as she knocked three times on the wooden green door in front of her. She was amazed her body carried her this far. She leaned her body against the door, attempting to catch her breath.

In her rushed and sleepy stupor, she had scribbled a note explaining herself to Richard before she flew fast and far away. She couldn't recall if it made any sense, nor what exactly it said, but it would perhaps give Richard some form of relief, should he find it.

The red-headed beauty knew that what had happened to her, her comatose-like state, was most certainly not normal. She knew that any other human being would never react to that situation in such a manner. However, she was also certain it wasn't normal for Tamaranians to react that way either, being the most resilient and headstrong of the alien races. She didn't want to turn to Galfore, afraid that her situation would cause her to be exiled by her people. She feared this despite Galfore's love and understanding toward her and others.

Her sister, however evil and nasty she most certainly was, was an outsider; she could no longer step foot on Tamaran but she was also one of Tamaran's most intelligent scientists. She had an understanding of the Tamaranian body that most Tamaranians did not and could not grasp. For example, she could go into full detail about why and how it is that the royal family of Tamaran were the only ones who could shoot starbolts.

Kory nearly toppled over as the door opened, catching herself right before her face hit the green dirt. Kory stood back up, making eye contact the green, oozy schlurch that was once her fiancé. A smile found its way to her face, "Hello, Gl..Glgrdsklechhh... It is I, Starfire, your sister-in-law. Please, is my sister available?"

The Exalted Schlurch of the Swamp Moons of Drenthax IV made several snorting and hissing sounds, splattering Kory with some sort of goo. Kory smiled politely, wiping the mess from her face as Glgrdscklech turned and welcomed her into his exquisite home. There was ooze covering the home and as Kory turned to see how big her nieces and nephews had gotten, she deadpanned when she noticed that her nieces had not only doubled but tripled in their numbers since her last visit.

Once again, she smiled politely in their direction and called out a greeting, all while attempting her head from causing her entire body to topple over once more. Only the older bunch of the group showed signs of recognition.

Her head was banging ferociously and Kory prayed that it wasn't a sign that she was about to lose her consciousness again.

* * *

Richard was searching for a sign, anything that would lead him to his wife's current location. He had searched the room they stayed in at least a dozen times already, and had gone with Victor to scan the skies in the T-Ship more than once. He had the other Titans spread out across the city, with Garfield on Red X's trail, just to stay safe. There was simply no clue of her whereabouts.

It wasn't until after Bruce walked into the room and forced the man to get ready for bed that he found something.

As his head hit the pillow, Richard wrapped one arm underneath it. Hitting something, Richard sat back up in confusion and flipped his pillow over. There was a note from Kory that had laid underneath his pillow since right before he left. Richard let out a half-groan, half-chuckle at his wife's antics. Despite being on Earth for over a decade, she still slipped up with Earth's customs from time-to-time. One of them being where to leave notes if you want people to read them.

Before he opened the small flap of paper, Richard reached for his T-Communicator and said to the other Titans, "No more searching. I found a note from Kory. Be at Wayne Manor in five for more information."

Not waiting for his teammates' responses, Richard turned his attention to the small scrap of paper and tried his best to discern Kory's chicken-scratch.

_Richard, something is wrong with me. I cannot figure out what. Whatever it was that happened to me after we faced Red X was not normal. I need help from Blackfire. I should be back soon.  
_

_Much love and forever yours,  
Kory_

Richard grimaced at the note, not quite understanding why Kory would ask her sister, the most deceptive of all creatures, for help. However, he accepted it as truth and prepared to debrief the other Titans upon their arrival.

* * *

Glgrdscklech pushed open another door, revealing a large, dark room. A light shown in the center, revealing a giant bed where Blackfire was snoozing and a smaller one next to it, as though for a pet. Kory assumed this was where Glgrdscklech slept.

Glrgdscklech made some more snorting sounds, causing Blackfire's eyes to flash open, "What do you mean my sister's here?" Blackfire sat up and made eye-contact with her little sister. She smiled, "Hello, sister!"

"Hello, Blackfire." Kory greeted back, forcing her eyes to remain open. "Please, may I ask you for the help?"

Blackfire almost responded harshly, making it very clear to her sister that she was still not forgiven for her past grievances. Before a single word filled with hatred could escape her mouth, though, Blackfire took in Kory's misshapen figure, her gaunt cheeks, and hunched over back. Blackfire read the bags under Kory's eyes clearly and instead of telling her little sister to scram, she barked at her husband to leave.

"Sister, why do you look the way you do?" Blackfire inquired, inviting her sister to sit on her bed. She winced as Kory stepped into the light, as the light revealed more anomalies, such as pale white skin and numerous bruises.

Kory launched into full detail about her experience with Red X, her ex-husband, and all the mini-disasters that had taken place from the time Robin left the Teen Titans up until the other day, when Kory stood up against her oppressor.

Blackfire listened carefully, considering all the symptoms her sister listed. She growled at the description of abuse Kory had received from X, insinuating that if anyone was going to abuse her little sister, it had to be her. Kory finished, still struggling to keep her head held high.

Blackfire took a long look at her sister and sighed. "Koriand'r, I think you're dying."

Kory cocked her head to the side and considered her sister's assumption carefully. She certainly felt like she was dying, but that was preposterous. She had two kids to take care of, a husband to live and to love with, friends to cherish... She still had a lot of life to live. Dying, now, was simply ridiculous.

"Sister, this is not a moment to be playing the practical jokes on me." Kory responded sloppily.

"Koriand'r," Blackfire shook her head, "I would never joke about something like this. Perhaps when we were small, but I am a grown and experienced woman now. You know I am well versed in the science of our people..." Kory nodded in acknowledgement of this and Blackfire continued, "Star, baby sister, in times of deep stress when a Tamaranian has been thrown into war after war, after every straining and life-endangering task... There have been some cases in which a Tamaranian body has been known to destroy itself in order to, ironically, protect itself. Keep in mind that it's very rare that this happens and our scientists still do not know why it happens, but it does."

Kory's heart sunk, "How long do I have?"

"I'd give you a week, tops."

* * *

"I'm still finding it hard to believe that Kory went to her sister's house..." Beastboy stated incredulously as the Titans gathered in the T-Ship.

Richard shrugged, "For whatever reason, that's where she decided to go."

"So if she left for her sister's house and we know where she is, why are we going after her?" Raven droned mechanically, knowing that her friend was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

"I don't trust Blackfire," Richard answered begrudgingly.

"We're ready for lift-off." Victor announced.

"Titans, launch!"

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I threw in some reference to the Titan Shorts. Don't sue me or hate me! XD**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	18. Family

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 18:  
Family

Kory's eyes swelled up with tears upon hearing this news. What would she tell to her friends? What would she say to her children? How would she be able to console Richard? She felt her sister's stare drilling into her. She blinked the tears away quickly and stood up. "I believe I shall be returning home, then, to my family."

Blackfire almost stopped her sister, almost did something completely horrible to make her last days even worse but decided against it. This was her little sister. She never liked her sister, but she would always love her. Besides, as heartless as Blackfire was, she wasn't _that_ heartless. Instead, she rose with her and embraced her tightly. She wanted apologize to her sister, tell her she loved her. But as they pulled away and looked at one another directly in the eyes, Blackfire knew that she didn't need to say anything; everything was forgiven and everything was understood.

Kory left the safety of land, journeying into space feeling somewhat weaker than she had when she left Earth. Then again, she wasn't sure how she could fly at all; she just knew that she had to.

One thing was certain to her: whether she died trying to return home or died a week later, she was going to die. She'd just prefer to say her goodbyes first.

* * *

Richard focused his attention to a white dot directly in their path of travel. He squinted his eyes, "What is that? It's not on any of our maps."

Victor shrugged, "It must be a comet. If it gets too close we can avoid it, but it'll probably add an hour to our tri-"

"No, it's not a comet," Raven hushed them, rubbing her temples soothingly. "It's something that can feel. It must be an alien... Whatever it is, it has extremely overwhelming emotions..."

They got closer to the being and Richard's heart nearly leaped out of his chest, "Kory..."

Kory nearly had a heart attack when she looked up to find the T-Ship in front of her. She wasn't sure which upset her more, that they came after her or looks of concern on her friend's faces. She gave them a weak smile and pulled out her communicator, "Hello friends!"

Richard shook his head, amazed. How could she still sound so optimistic when she looked so miserable? "Hey, Princess, need a ride?" He asked casually, hoping she didn't notice his voice choking.

"That would be most pleasing! Thank you." She pointed to a nearby moon where the Titans could pull over and let her in.

* * *

"Star, what were you thinking?" Richard inquired as he stepped out of the T-Ship, ready to wrap his strong arms around her frail frame.

She set foot on the stone-cold ground in front of him, quickly losing her balance. Her heart rate quickened as she placed her right hand on his shoulder to steady herself and a sliver of sweat broke out across her forehead, "I am certain I do not know what you are talking about, Robin."

"Robin?" Garfield and Victor exchanged glances, each not liking the way Kory sounded or looked.

Richard's facial expression matched those of the other Titans, "Uh, Vic, can you get us home. I want Star to sit in my pod with me." As soon as Kory's knees weakened, Richard scooped her up bridal style, "No you don't!"

Kory buried her face in the crook of her husband's neck and inhaled, "You smell nice."

"Kory, did you figure out what was going on?" Richard asked as the settled in his pod, but the princess was snoozing away.

* * *

"I've never seen her like this before," Richard groaned in frustrated as the T-Ship zipped its way through space with roughly three hours left to their trip.

"It's not exactly normal," Raven commented dryly, "but there's certainly something upsetting her, more than anything else would. It seems like her mind is in shutdown mode." Raven was sitting cross-legged, her body suspended into the air as she meditated.

"She's so pale," Richard whimpered, in regards to his wife's almost white skin. He was glad to be sitting down since his hands were so sweaty. If he had been standing, she would have been sure to slip out of his hands. Instead, she was cradled against his chest, much like he had held Marie when she was an infant. "I know I'm not the most acute to detail when it comes to relationships, but there's no way she was ever this tiny before, right...?"

Raven opened her right eye and glanced at Richard in his pod. He was hunched over, which was unusual for him. Typically, when his mind was exerting such extreme amounts of stress, you wouldn't be able to tell by his body language. He hid it well from everyone except Raven, who was sensitive to everyone's emotions. "No, Richard, she wasn't." Then, before she let his emotions overcome her, she began chanting her three most popular words.

Kory's mumbled something incoherent to Richard, who shifted his weight in reaction to her sudden quivering movements.

"What's that Kory?" Richard inquired as he attempted to peel her face away from his soaked t-shirt, in order to hear her more clearly.

"H-have to s-say g-g-goodbye." Kory managed to croak, returning to her fits of sobs.

Richard felt all the eyes of the Titans on him at once as he replied, "No, Kory, you don't have to say goodbye. It's okay. We're all together now. And we'll have the kids when we get back... We're going to stay together. One big happy family, remember?"

_"She's so tiny," Kory mused sleepily at the newborn child in her arms. The girl was wrapped snuggly in a light pink blanket, with her fists waving about freely. _

_Richard grinned down at his wife and daughter, "Yeah, she is. She's beautiful, Kory, just like you."_

_If it were possible for her bright red cheeks to get any more flushed, Kory would have blushed, "Thank you, Richard."_

_A tapping was heard at the door. Richard looked over his shoulder to see Victor peaking in, holding Katie. Garfield and Raven were next to him, each holding a small boy. "Mind if we come in for a visit, y'all?" Vic inquired with a huge grin._

_Richard looked back at his wife, "I don't know, Kor, are you ready for visitors?"_

_Kory acted as though she was weighing her options by looking back and forth between her baby and the ceiling. Finally, she spoke, "Yeah, why not? I could always use some love from my friends. After all, we are one big happy family, aren't we?" She looked toward the door and beamed at Cyborg, "Please join us. I think it's time Marie met her family."_

Kory took deep breaths as Richard recalled the memory. She smiled at him genuinely when he finished and somehow managed to pull herself up enough to wrap her arms around his neck in a sweet hug. "I know. Thank you," she said in a breathy voice and then stopped, uncertain of how to continue. "...It is pleasant to be around family during the last few days of my life."

* * *

**A/N: ... I'm a horrible person.  
But anyway... Reviews? Please?**

**God bless,  
Rose**


	19. Hope

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 19:  
Hope

Richard nearly choked on his spit. Maybe he just misunderstood her? After all, she was very sleepy and was fumbling most of her words together. "What, Kory?"

Kory lifted her head to look her husband straight in the eyes, intensely staring at one another-blue on green. Kory shied away, "I have a week to live, tops."

If the T-Ship were a car, Victor would have slammed on the breaks, "Did I hear what I think I just heard from the little lady?"

"Star, what are you talking about?" Gar piped in from the right as Raven's chanting seemed to falter in regularity.

Richard breathed heavily, "Give us a moment, guys." He pressed a button in his pod and the microphone turned off, "Kory, can you please explain?"

Kory began twirling strands of red hair between her thumbs, "Th-The amount of stress that has b-been put on my body over the years is... _more_ than most Tamaranians can handle. My people are m-most resilient but Blackfire is convinced I've been through more than what an average Tamaranian, what an average Tamaranian r-royalty, has ever been used to." Kory glanced to the right and then returned her gaze to her husband's deep stare, "My b-body is d-destroying itself."

Richard was about to respond when he noticed Garfield and Victor with their ears pressed up against the glass, trying to listen. He glared at them and they slithered back into their pods. Richard turned his attention back to the beautiful woman in his arms, "Kory... Are you certain?"

He didn't want to believe it, that was more than certain. He knew his wife was sick, that was more than evident. But he couldn't bring himself to accept that Blackfire was correct, whether it be because she's Blackfire or because he couldn't accept that his wife was dying.

"Richard, look at me!" Kory exhaled, paling even more so in color.

He was looking at her. He was considering every option in his mind and he couldn't reach to a conclusion. Nothing made more sense than what she had already stated. He kissed her forehead sweetly and then reached for the microphone button. "Vic, when we get back to Gotham I'm going to need you to set up the infirmary in the Bat Cave. Maybe we can find a cure."

"N-no." Kory protested, shaking her head in Victor's direction. "I just want to go back home, and sleep in my bed."

"But Kor-"

"Richard." Kory silenced him, "I've made my decision."

* * *

_Two Days Later..._

Richard woke up to an empty bed at around three in the morning. He sat up quickly and recognized that Kory had, once again, left on her own accord. He slammed his right palm to his forehead, "Kory, _why_ do you keep doing this...?"

He stood up to check on the girls' in their respective bedrooms. He checked Marie's room first, as that was closest to his room. Usually at this time of night she'd be snoozing softly, her thumb stuck stubbornly in her mouth. Tonight, Richard was surprised to find her sitting in her mother's lap, caressed against Kory's breasts as Kory rocked her back and forth. The moonlight was shining through Marie's bedroom window, giving mother and daughter a heavenly appeal.

_"You know, I was going to come and get her." Richard leaned against the frame of the door as he admired his wife nursing their newborn._

"I didn't realize she was upset," Richard whispered to his wife from the doorway, "I could have taken care of her."

_Kory looked up and beamed at him, her eyes shining with motherly pride, "No worries. You were slumbering and I did not wish to disturb you."_

"...Besides," Kory continued, "my little bumgorf needed her k'norfka."

_"But, Kory, you're so weak right now." _Richard protested, reaching for the small girl. "You need all the rest you can get."

_"I'm fine, Richard." _Kory giggled, petting Marie's beautiful hair down her back, "I... I don't have much time to have these moments anymore."

_"But Kory-"_

"Richard," Kory silenced him cautiously, "I want her to remember me."

"How could she forget you? You're a phenomenal mother, Kory." Richard walked all the way over and placed his lips against Kory's forehead.

_"You're really a phenomenal mom, you know that, Kor?" Richard smiled at his wife and kissed the top of Marie's head. As he was standing up, he caught his wife's lips as well._

_"If only that were true." _Kory rolled her eyes and tried to stand up. Now that her daughter weighed more than eight pounds, she had more trouble standing up than she once did.

"I'll take her," _Richard reached for his baby girl, thankful that he'd never be able to understand the pain that his wife might be in. Kory threw him a look of gratification and kissed his cheek before he could whisk the little girl into her light pink crib._

"Thank you."

"No problem," Richard responded, pulling the covers over Marie's small body.

"Will you be able to do it without me?" Kory questioned aloud, fearing the worst.

"Kory, can we please not think that way?" Richard rubbed his eyes and reached for Kory, pulling her into a protective hug. "Let's be optimistic, please?"

"I wish I could be," Kory sighed into his chest.

"But you're stronger than you were two days ago... You're still very frail and don't have your color back but you're looking a million times better-"

"Richard, I do not want to get your hopes up, should something bad happen."

_Kory breathed in his scent happily, "Thank you for being a good husband, as well as a good father."_

_"My pleasure."_

"Kory," Richard looked down at her, aghast, "you of all people should know that it's hard for me not to be hopeful." Memories from the past several months, the past several years flooded through his mind. "After everything we've been through, of course I'm going to keep hoping." He lifted up her chin so she would understand how serious he was about his statement, "We're Starfire and Nightwing. Through God's grace, we've made it through everything." Kory's eyes shone, reflected in the moonlight as she nodded and rested her head against Richard's chest once more.

_They stood there together, swaying back and forth in the moonlight, enjoying each other's presence_ while it lasted.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys understood what was going on in Marie's room... If not, essentially, it was combining a memory with the present-if that makes sense. :)**

**ALSO, I'm really beginning to hate FF's spell check option. It keeps telling me to simplify my sentences and words so y'all will understand me better... I think you guys are pretty smart... If you're reading this, you're clearly not 5. (Furthermore, I do not care WHAT FF says to me, Victor calling Kory a "lady" is not in any sense offensive, whatsoever.)**

**God bless,  
Rose**


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